We just received a fantastic email from Charlotte & Kyle who updated us on their recent Oregon engagement. The Trail Blazers success this past season plays center stage in the turn of events leading to this exciting engagement. Malka Diamonds is honored to be part of it.
Malka Diamonds was excited to meet and work with this stunning couple! It was a Saturday in March when Kyle brought Charlotte out ring shopping. He surprised her that morning and told her he wanted to get to know what she liked. Charlotte was all smiles, The two spent a while working with us and looking at the different ring style. One ring, an emerald-cut diamond with trapezoid-cut side diamonds simple took her breathe away. She took a quick picture of it as one of her favorites. We continued to look at the rings in the store and learn a little about loose diamonds. It was pretty clear that she was taken with the emerald-cut diamonds.
Kyle returned to our store a few weeks later to start talking more seriously about a ring for Charlotte. He wanted to custom make a ring like the one she had seen a few weeks back at our shop. We met with him several times to discuss diamonds and to start on a custom ring. Kyle was part of the entire process. He first came in to look over the sketches, then the wax and later the casting. Once it was just a few days away from completion, Kyle started to email and ask about it. We can recall one email in particular when he said, "It's all I can think about".
The day finally came when it was time for Kyle to come in to Malka Diamods and pick up the engagement ring. He had spoken about the proposal with us on several occasions. He mentioned they would be heading to Paris that weekend and he needed to pick up the ring by Saturday morning.
Saturday came and Kyle walked in to our downtown Portland shop. He seemed slightly distracted . When we asked if he was packed for the trip, he said, "not exactly". To understand the story, you first need to get to know the couple a little better. Here is the story through Charlotte...
"Kyle and I met through a mutual friend that “just had a feeling we needed to meet.” By our 3rd date I knew he was going to be the love of my life, in fact I called my mom the next day and told her I had met my husband. It was incredible how easy it was falling in love with Kyle, especially since it was not an opportune time to start a relationship. I had just started studying for the LSAT and planned on applying to law school later that year. On top of that, I work full time as a legal assistant and part time with the Trailblazers as a Blazer Dancer. Kyle works as an investment consultant for RVK and travels often, racking up over 30 work trips a year. Despite our crazy, stressful schedules we fell for each other hard and fast.
Kyle graduated from University of Oregon and is (I don’t mean this lightly) the BIGGEST Ducks fan. He attends all home Oregon football games, and paces around nervously when he watches them play away. He absolutely loves all sports, collects wine, and is one of the biggest planners I’ve ever met (his outlook calendar is insane). He is pragmatic, steady, and a complete romantic. His friends even joke that he’s Ted from “How I Met Your Mother.”
In January, Kyle and I booked a trip to Paris to celebrate my final season with the Blazer Dancers and the next phase in my life as a law student. With Kyle’s frequent work travel there was a 9 day window in early May that fit perfectly. At the time it was unthinkable that the Blazers would advance out of the first round (or even make the playoffs for that matter), and therefore ruin our trip. This "Trip of a Lifetime" looked like a sure thing, so over the next few months (unknown to me) Kyle got to work, ring shopping and planning out a proposal in the City of Lights.
The Blazers would go on to finish the season as one of the hottest teams in the league but still looked like a first round exit. As they fell behind the Clippers, two games to none, we started booking tickets to the Moulin Rouge, Versailles, and transportation from the airport, etc. We were on our way, and just as important, the ring was ready. Friends and family (who knew Kyle’s plans) were rooting for us, and against the Blazers.
You know what happens next. As Rip City celebrated the big win advancing them to the second round, we sadly cancelled our reservations and requested refunds. Bittersweet, no doubt. The Blazers had defied the odds, but our trip, and Kyle’s proposal, was ruined.
On May 3rd, rather than catch our scheduled 8 am flight to Paris, Kyle told me to take the day off work. What followed was the closest we could get to Paris in Portland: a day full of crepes, croissants, baguettes, cheese, and of course wine. We spent the afternoon at some of Oregon’s most scenic wineries, and on the last stop, Kyle made his move. In the middle of our picnic overlooking the Willamette Valley, he got down on one knee and revealed his plans for us in Paris, his commitment to our future, and last but definitely not least: THE RING (thank you, Malka!).
Of course I said yes!