I know I’m behind in my blogging, and I have a bunch floating around in my head. One of the most exciting things that is going on right now is we actually have wedding stuff that is starting to arrive. Things we’ve ordered or finally bought after looking at repeatedly. I’m planning on a blog specifically to chronicle all the fun stuff, but this one particular item was just so special that it deserved its own blog. “What could be so special?” you ask. A couple of weeks ago, Jeremy’s wedding band came in, and it is even more gorgeous than I had even imagined. Now, in order to fully understand why this was such a monumental occasion, I need to step back and start the story at the beginning.
Jay and I have been talking about getting married since not long after we got “together” in May of last year. So when we met up for the first time in 5 ½ years, last August, I brought a special ring with me. I’d ordered it from my favorite catalogue and felt it was perfect for our situation. It was a simple sterling silver band with the words “anam cara” engraved in the outside. “Anam cara” means soul friend or soul mate in Gaelic. I gave it to him to take on his cruise. I wanted him to know that even though he was going to be gone for a long time, that come hell or high water, I would be on that pier to greet him. He loved it and after spending more time with him and seeing the types of jewelry he wore, I knew I’d made the perfect choice.
Now fast forward to our engagement over 8 months later. The ring Jay gave me was literally the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen let alone owned. The shape, color and size are perfect for my hand and skin tone. I knew he’d had me and my preferences in mind when he picked it out and I knew he had spent many months researching and finding the perfect ring. So, the moment he slipped it on my finger, I knew I had my work cut out for me.
We had already made a few stops into jewelry stores to look around (this was during the few weeks between homecoming and our engagement where he was still trying to pretend that he didn’t know anything about a ring or an engagement, hehe). I could tell from the rings he was drawn to that I needed to find something very simple and masculine, yet elegant at the same time. He kept telling me that he wanted something similar to the one I’d already gotten him (which of course made me smile all over again, knowing that I had gotten him something he really liked and felt was true to his style). So, I got it into my head that with the Celtic themed wedding, his love for Irish culture and his enjoyment of the Gaelic ring he already had that I needed to get him a Celtic ring of some sort. And the search began. For weeks if not months, I waded through webpage after webpage of gaudy, two toned and even tri-colored bands with hideous raised braid work. No offense to anyone who loves these rings but I knew my stylish yet simply understated groom would never be comfortable in one.
So, on the verge of giving up the search, I decided to press on just a little longer and did what must have been my one millionth google search for “celtic wedding bands”. This time, out of shear randomness and a blessing from the google gods, I found a new website. The moment it started to load, I knew I’d found my source for his ring. On the front page there were at least 2 bands that I loved and new he would too. As I searched deeper in the list I found even more. I began sending him the jpgs to look at and I could tell even over email that he was very excited at the prospect of wearing one of these rings. The site had so many wonderful options, that it took him a few weeks to narrow down which one he wanted and in what color and finish. But soon after he zeroed in on the one he wanted and after a few days spent agonizing over the special inscription on the inside, I ordered the ring. The really nice thing (among many nice things) was that they offered engraving as a part of the ordering process, so when it came in I wouldn’t have to worry about anything. It would be ready to go.
Within a week or so, I got the email saying it had been shipped and my anxiety level began to rise. I knew that this was a very special gift, one of the most special I would ever give someone and I needed it to be perfect. I feared that since I’d ordered it off the internet that the quality wouldn’t be as good as it looked online and I even had dreams of it coming in with an incorrect inscription. The morning it was to be delivered, I talked with our reception at work and gave her a heads up. So, the moment it arrived she paged me, and I flew down the stairs. I tore into the package right then and there and literally held my breath as I took it out of his bag. …. It was perfect! The quality was even better than I had expected, the edges were rounded like a good men’s ring should be, the knot work engraved on the outside was perfect and the inscription on the inside was exactly what I had wanted. I could not have been happier, and instantly let out a huge sigh of relief!
When I got it home, he was just as impressed as I was and commented on how comfortable it was to wear. I’ve even caught him wearing it a few times, this after he’s yelled at me countless times for wearing my wedding band around the house. One time when he came home from an underway I heard him yell from the upstairs, “Some body’s in TROUBLE!” I instantly froze trying to figure out if he’d asked me to write any checks that I’d forgotten to write or what I had done. When I got up there he said, “If you’re going to wear your wedding band when I’m out of the house, at least put it back in it pseudo hiding place before I get HOME!” We both laughed and laughed and fell into each others arms in giggles.
So now comes the long wait. We have just over 4 months till the wedding (although in wedding terms that’s like a day and a half). We are both so excited to present our rings to the others as well as wear the ones intended for us (without getting yelled at! Hehe!). I knew buying his ring was going to be special for me, but I was still a little surprised at the depth of emotion that struck me when I looked at it for the first time. Jay is my soul mate, my best friend, my confidant, my protector, my love. And there’s nothing I want more than to be his wife. I knew that I would never find a ring that was as perfect as he is, but I knew I had to try. The moment I held his ring, I knew I had come as close to perfection as possible. On our wedding day, I’ll be able to stand there and present him with a ring that I put effort into finding and really represents the essence of who he is, the essence of all the things I love about him. I could never give him anything that even comes close to what he has given me. How do you pay someone back for their love, support, comfort and caring with a piece of jewelry. But if I could it would be with this ring!
Thanks for reading!
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