Behind the Design: Sarah & Cindy
Sarah & Cindy’s love story started at university and has blossomed into a beautiful family life, complete with a wedding and two adorable twin babies. They’ve been married for a while now but have decided to create a brand new ring set with Taylor & Hart which is more personal to them as a couple. We find out more about their life together and their journey towards getting the perfect rings.
Before the Beginning
Reminiscent of a 2000s Emma Stone rom-com, Sarah & Cindy met at a sorority convention. They were at different colleges about an hour away and met the summer before their final year in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
According to Cindy: ‘Neither of us really knew anyone, but Sarah said she saw the Deathly Hallows sticker on my laptop, she knew I’d be a kindred spirit to sit next to.’ Oh, to be young and feel love’s keen sting.
They hit it off right away and were pretty inseparable as friends for a few months before they actually started dating.
In true plot twist style, Sarah was engaged at the time and Cindy had a boyfriend, so: ‘us recognising our love for each other and deciding to be together was a pretty big life upheaval. But it was also the easiest decision we’ve ever made.’ When something’s right, the universe works wonders to bring people together.
How it Started
Cindy reminisced about their beginnings by saying they ‘friend-dated’ for a while. The connection was clearly there, so while they were still living an hour apart, they’d find any excuse to see each other on the weekends and keep in touch as much as possible. That helped lay a great foundation before the romance inevitably blossomed.
When asked about their first date, the answer wasn’t super straight-forward. So, while not an official ‘first date’ it all started one night when the two were walking to a nearby park together. The setting and circumstances all feel very romantic as it was raining a little, and one simply can’t do romance without a bit of rain.
After getting swept up in the moment, the pair ended up holding hands as they walked back to Sarah’s place. Sometimes that moment of spark and realisation is all it takes.
We still thought we were just ‘friends’ at the time, but it was really the moment that started everything for us as a couple.
Cindy
The Story of The Rings
The first proposal, and marriage that followed, was steeped in sentiment as the original rings the couple exchanged belonged to Cindy’s parents. Such a lovely way of honouring the past. Sarah wore Cindy’s mother’s engagement ring and Cindy opted for her dad’s wedding band. These rings are, understandably, very special to the pair and they’ve loved what they’ve represented throughout the relationship. As they’ve grown as a couple, they’d been thinking about getting Sarah a bridal set that was more personalised and really represented her as a person. A bespoke element was also something Cindy wanted to incorporate into the new design. ‘And now, we’re able to pass on my parents’ rings to our own kids when the time comes,’ says Cindy.
Then, an elaborate secret operation began. Going into designing the ring for Sarah, Cindy knew she wanted something a little different and extra special. Quite early on she gravitated towards coloured stones and rose gold. They both love the colour pink and are drawn to warm colours, so blush was the go-to option. ‘The lesbian flag also includes shades of pink – which was an added bonus for us.’
Cindy opted for the Marula engagement ring with a stunning oval diamond centre stone and diamond and pink sapphire accent stones. It’s got tonnes of charm and personality, making it a perfect choice for Sarah. The Summit wedding band completes the bridal suite. Its curved pavè design delicately frames the diamond creating an almost halo effect that Sarah’s always loved.
As the couple is based in the US, the consultation process took place remotely with our New York-based specialist. According to Cindy, Jewellery Designer, Juliet, was so helpful and made the process feel easy. They worked collaboratively on the vision, with loads of helpful insight and expertise from Juliet.
I also loved that she made a custom design page, which had both rings together, with the included customisations, so that I could really visualise everything.
Cindy
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The Proposal
When Cindy proposed to Sarah for the first time, the couple was spending time in the mountains. Taking their romance to new heights, it felt fitting to give Sarah her new rings while they were back in the mountains on an annual family trip. Sarah had known about potentially getting a new ring but wasn’t privy to any specifics.
‘My main goal was to surprise her as much as possible, which I think I accomplished!’ One of the things the pair loves doing for their job as a couple is making content and doing photoshoots, so Cindy set it all up as if nothing out-of-the-ordinary was meant to happen.
But, during the shoot, Cindy re-proposed with the brand new ring, capturing the joy of the moment and eliciting a wave of emotions from Sarah.
Cindy surprised me during what I thought was just a typical shoot for us. I absolutely loved the rings and it was really wonderful to be able to show our family that was on the trip with us.
Sarah
What’s Next?
Looking towards the future, the couple’s main hope right now is getting to a period of calm. ‘We’ve had a lot of big changes and issues in the last few years, which has kept us very busy.’
They’re looking forward to settling down more and being able to really focus on the family unit. The couple’s twins are a year old now so they’re excited about seeing the kids grow and thrive. They’re also hoping to travel and discover as much of the world as possible. Bon voyage.
