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Hey guys! Today I am so excited to share with you guys about my experience picking out my second (and third) weddings bands with Diamonds Direct for my 9 year wedding anniversary and as a memento for my son Brayden! Since I have never shared our engagement story I thought I would start there almost 11 years ago.
My husband and I got engaged when I was quite young in 2007 (had just turned 18). I had graduated high school and had just starting college at Meredith College in Raleigh. On Christmas Eve 2007 my husband, Brian, proposed! We had dated since I was 15 years old and he was 19. I get asked often how we met and we met because he was my oldest brother’s friend and we also went to high school together! I was a freshman in high school and he was a senior so as you can imagine it was quite scandalous that we were so far apart in age and ‘dating’ (at that time in life, if you know what I mean). We went through a couple short breakups throughout our relationship and always ended up back together and in June of 2009, going into my Junior year of business school at Meredith College, we got married! It’s hard to imagine now a Pinterest-less wedding, but just a few short years ago Pinterest was brand new, I didn’t have a Facebook much less an Instagram and I picked out my engagement ring and wedding bands because I saw them on an ad in the middle of our local mall… Thankfully our local mall had good taste because I ended up with a Tacori set that I have absolutely loved since the day he proposed!
I wanted to quickly share how Brian proposed because I get asked that very often. In an effort to sum up our engagement in as few words as possible (as not to bore you all 🙂 ) I will suffice to say he proposed twice… not because I didn’t say yes, but because he wanted to do it in front of both of our families! His first proposal was Christmas Eve in front of his mom and dad after our traditional Christmas Eve service at church, I was FLOORED!!! I was caught so off guard, but of course said yes! The ring he slipped on my finger was nothing like we had talked about and it was HUGE (as in 3 sizes too big for my finger)! Immediately following proposal number #1 he told me we had to jump in the car and go straight to my parents home because there was a BIG SURPRISE when we got there (all I could think was, did he buy a house too ?!??!?! bahahahha)! As we flew to me moms house he kept not letting me really look at the ring. When we got to my parents house (the longest 30 minute drive ever) he got down on one knee in front of my whole family and told me the ring I was wearing was actually FAKE from Belk and he pulled out my Tacori ring and proposed again! I was speechless and IN LOVE with my ring!
Fast Forward to our wedding day, Brian gave me a beautiful Tacori wedding band that complimented my engagement ring and I have loved it for our entire marriage , which as of this past June was 9 years! We have looked for another band throughout the years, but I wanted to do a mix and match stack and we thought what better time to add to my set than on our 9 year Anniversary the year we had our first child, Brayden! As many of you know we suffered two miscarriages prior to our Rainbow Baby, so having him is EXTRA sweet and a blessing for us that we wanted to mark with a special memento.
Now for what I’m so excited to share and that is my new stack from Diamonds Direct (pictured above)! When I got engaged Diamonds Direct was not in Raleigh, but in the past years my sister, my mom and sister-in-law have all gotten their rings from their Glenwood Avenue location and had such wonderful buying experiences. On numerous occasions I had been into their showroom with my family and always found myself trying on fun bands and different rings! Diamonds Direct, for those of you who have never been inside is such a welcoming environment, wonderful salespeople and a selection of diamonds, engagement rings and bands that will fit any budget or desire!
When I walked in to search for my bands, I was promptly greeted with a smile and offered a latte! With latte in hand it was time to pick out my bands! Diamonds Direct has so many brands of bands and bands for any look you desire! I wanted a band/bands that complimented my Tacori set with classic unique details, but something different than I had and we found this with Classique Creations! Classique Creations is a brand that has a commitment to unique designs and expert craftsmanship! I looked at numerous bands (pictured below) all from this amazing designer!
I loved all of the bands and honestly could not decide on my own, so I asked many of you guys on Instagram which was your favorite and I listened and got the ones that you all loved as much as I did, so thanks for your input because I am so thrilled!
So here’s the information on the rings as I was asked from so many of you:
Rose scallop band:
o Classique Creations
o 14 karat rose gold
o Contains 27 round brilliant cut diamonds weighing approx. 0.14 carats total
o Retail value $760
White gold band:
o Classique Creations
o 14 karat white gold
o Contains 29 princess cut diamonds weighing approx. 0.66 carats total
o Retail value $1750
Diamonds Direct offers complimentary services even after the sale including complimentary jewelry maintenance, complimentary cleaning, complimentary sizing, complimentary appraisal for insurance purposes and complimentary lifetime upgrade on engagement.
Diamonds Direct offers a Lifetime Warranty. The lifetime warranty covers all the services for cleaning and tightening, as well as the loss of side diamonds, assuming the loss was not caused by damage. However, even with the warranty, it’s critical to have your jewelry insured in the event of loss, damage or theft. We recommend Jewelers Mutual insurance. They’ve specialized in insuring fine jewelry for over 100 years and make the process quick and easy.
They also offer Free Shipping, 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, Expert Services, Financing Options and More you can check out HERE!
I hope you all enjoyed this post as much as I did sharing some of my personal journey as well as about our amazing experience with Diamonds Direct! There are so many Diamonds Direct locations and if you are in Raleigh, check out their Crabtree location on Glenwood Avenue! If you have ANY questions regarding any rings/bands you see in this post feel from to message me, DM me on social media or email me at maketodayahollyday@gmail.com and I can get you in touch with a wonderful salesperson from Diamonds Direct! Next time you all are looking (or just want to try on) some amazing jewelry definitely check them out!
A HUGE thank you to Diamonds Direct for helping me create the stack of my dreams! These rings are ones that I will treasure for a lifetime!
