Since we started the Chupi Engagement Series last year, we have heard the most wonderful stories of how a Chupi heirloom ring played a part in one of the most special moments in your life. We are very excited to announce the latest couple in our series – the lovely Rachael & Jaimie who tell us about their gorgeous engagement in the National Concert Hall in Dublin.
We met in June 2017 at a mutual friends BBQ where we kept glancing at each other all evening. We finished the evening watching a movie with our friends holding hands. At this point we had yet to really speak to each other – we just had an undeniable connection!
We got engaged on October 26 th of last year. We always knew we would marry and joked a lot as to who would propose. I chose to do it on this particular date as it is 6 months on from our birthdays, Jaimie is the 25 th and I am the 27 th of April. It’s also close to Halloween which is her favourite holiday! Jaimie is currently in full time education and I had previously thought we would wait until she was finished college to propose, but with the passing of a friends wife at a very young age I decided why wait, life is too short.
I have loved Chupi’s ethos and style of rings for many years and thus Jaimie was introduced to Chupi. Last summer, I brought her in with a plan to find her style and ring size, telling her this was for future planning and it wouldn’t be for many years which she bought.
I wanted to propose in the National Concert hall as this is where we had our first official date!
I had been emailing Customer Care with many queries about style and price. When September came around, I decided to pop into the store. I met the fantastic Lir in store, she was so excited for me and so helpful with the choices. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I was emailing Lir back and forth to choose the perfect grey diamond. In the end, I went into store to go through each diamond in the size and we found the perfect stone. To this day, I have popped into Lir on many occasions to give wedding updates or say hello and she is just so genuinely lovely!
I had been planning the proposal for a few months. I wanted to do it in the National Concert hall as this is where we had our first official date! Conveniently, this is also where I had worked for many years and also still have some family members working there. I met with the manager of the National Concert Hall to plan how it would take place. The lighting and sound department also helped out which made it wonderful.
The day before she pieced the events and the nails together and asked me was I planning something! I nearly died but managed to get her off the scent.
The ruse I had told Jaimie was that my friend Luke was coming home that particular weekend and we were all going for a fancy afternoon tea in the Conrad. I had our nail artist Jo arrange to ask Jaimie to come in for a free appointment last minute which I had paid in advance for. This was the only time she clued anything!
The day before when she got the message from Jo she pieced the events and the nails together and asked me was I planning something. I nearly died, but managed to get her off the scent. On the day of the proposal, she got her nails done and we walked towards the Conrad which is right next to the National Concert Hall.
I messaged my cousin who was in the National Concert Hall with my aunt preparing the steps with candles and flowers. When in the Concert Hall, I went to the bathroom to text them and let them know we had arrived.
Upstairs in a private area they were waiting to play the music. Also in waiting was one of Jaimie’s friends Amber who is a fantastic photographer and I had hired to sneakily take photos of us. I was keen to have the event documented without having to worry about doing it myself!
In the Concert Hall, I told Jaimie I wanted to show her something and brought her through a door. She kept saying “Are we allowed here?”. I managed to get her upstairs and across a hall before she even saw what was waiting. Her friend Amber appeared and I took Jaimie up a set of steps and got down on one knee. She was shocked even though she had guessed correctly the previous day!
I’ve followed Chupi for years and always loved the ethos of the brand. Once I introduced Jaimie to Chupi, she loved it too.
After the proposal, Amber took some photos of us in the Iveagh gardens. I told my cousin and aunt to go across the road and we would have one drink with them before we went for afternoon tea. Little did Jaimie know I had actually organised for some friends and family to be there waiting for us in Alfie Byrne’s – another symbolic spot as we went there after the show on our first date. When we arrived, Jaimie was shocked and couldn’t believe all the love and support in the room. It was wonderful!
Jaimie never knew what she wanted in an engagement ring . We went to the Chupi Spring/Summer launch party which gave her the first taste of the Chupi brand. I’ve followed Chupi for years and always loved the ethos of the brand. Once I introduced Jaimie to Chupi, she loved it too. Previous to our engagement, whenever we discussed getting engaged – a Chupi ring was always in the conversation!
I can’t speak for Jaimie but I can say for me and I think she feels the same, we are absolutely in love with the ring . I really love the grey diamond I chose with Lir as it has so much sparkle with dashes of the dark grey throughout. Lir was brilliant, she we went through all available options and made sure I chose the perfect stone for Jaimie!
We have decided on Kilshane house in Tipperary 28 th October 2021 for our Wedding. I have my dress also but that is also as far as we are at right now. Very exciting times!
Photography: Amber Baruch
If a Chupi engagement ring or Chupi promise piece was a part of your engagement, we’d love to hear from you and feature you on The Chupi Blog . You can find out more details on this exciting series here.
