PW Reader Ring: Gillian & Scott!
Gillian’s rings! Wondering why there are two? Read her proposal story below …
The couple: Gillian MacDonald and Scott Devoy, Manayunk.
The ring: My engagement ring is a platinum band with three rows of pave diamonds surrounding an Assher-cut diamond. Scott designed the ring himself (the band, the rock, the size, everything) with Charlie Dolan of Diesinger & Dolan in Bryn Mawr, and although I didn’t have any input—nor did I ever hint at any particular details that appealed to me—he knew exactly what I would like. (Well, I may have at some point mentioned that I am not a fan of gold jewelry unless it’s costume, but that’s it!) It also doesn’t hurt that he has extremely good taste! This engagement ring, however, was not the ring he proposed with …
The proposal: Scott proposed on Christmas morning. He is from New Zealand, and that is where his entire family still lives. Scott hadn’t been home for Christmas once in the 10 years he’s lived in the US, so it was about time he got to spend a Christmas with his family, and I went with him. (This was the first Christmas I had ever spent away from my home/family, so going into the holiday season was a bit bittersweet.)
The trip itself was a Christmas present to each other, so we had decided not to do gifts—though once we were in New Zealand, we spent an afternoon shopping and decided to each pick out a few items to purchase for each other and then wrap up so that we had something to open on Christmas morning. So, I picked out for myself a striped sundress and a white tank top.
On Christmas morning, I gave Scott his gifts first. Then Scott handed me my first gift to open—the striped sundress. He then handed me the next one, which I already knew was the white tank top. He told me to open it, and just as I anticipated, it was a white shirt—but then he told me to unfold it. As I did, I could see that it was not the white tank top I had picked out, but instead, a plain white t-shirt with the words “Will You Marry Me?” written across the front! My response: “Are you serious?!” Needless to say, I was completely surprised!
At this point, Scott’s family heard the commotion and started to come downstairs (like me, they didn’t know he was going to propose!), and all I could do was show them the shirt. Once I was able to actually accept his proposal, Scott pulled a small jewelry bag out of his pocket, which held a simple band of diamonds in a platinum setting. He explained that this ring was the stand-in while we were out of the country, because the ring he had designed was back in the States in the final stages of completion. (Which meant a second proposal was in my future!)
The band: It’s an easy decision, selecting my wedding band, as Scott did the leg work for us both: I will forever be wearing the simple band of diamonds that he actually proposed to me with. This has very special meaning to us both, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Read other PW Reader Ring stories here.
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