Dante and Dafina
Tell us a bit about you and your love story!
We met as co-workers, and worked together for a couple of years. Knowing there was something deeper, we decided to go out for dinner/drinks. We shared tacos and laughs, and we knew that was the start of something special.
When and how did you pop the question, or when did you know you wanted to make your love official?
Dafina and I got engaged on October 24, 2020 at Rouge National Park on the outskirts of Toronto. I had been secretly taking piano and vocal lessons for about a year, and learned to play and sing John Legend's beautiful song "All of Me". I had a piano keyboard set up on a small look-out patch, and as we went for a hike with our pup Stanley, we "happened upon the piano". As you can see from the picture, Stanley was reluctant to give up the spotlight, but thankfully he's warmed to the idea of sharing it.
How did you learn about and decide on Anice to create your love piece?
This is a fun part of the story! I had been searching around for custom jewelry stores once I knew roughly what Dafina liked. I visited Anice after finding out about them online, and after our consult Britt let me know some of the details I needed to confirm. I went home to, as secretively as I could, find out some of these details. As Dafina spoke generally about rings/jewelry, she had mentioned that "there's this cool place called Anice that I've been wanting to go to. It's just beside work. Maybe we should go together". Of course I pretended I'd never heard of Anice, and said we should go and just check out some rings and see what designs she liked. Britt and I then planned a time where we could do an undercover "first visit" to the store with Dafina, which is when Shatahj helped us disguise the visit and use it to find out Dafina's ring size and detailed preferences. Little did Dafina know, I had already had a consult and began the ring design process!
What was the inspiration behind your love piece?
Dafina was a big fan of the tear-drop shape, of the moonstone gem and a subtle but unique non-traditional look. I knew she loved the halo / stack concept, so I made sure to include that as well. The moonstone had multiple significances. We always say to each other "I love you to the moonmoon", after we learned that moons can have moons...and that they're called moonmoons (seriously!). We also like the symbolism of the moonstone being tied to moon cycles as a reminder that life ebbs and flows, and that no matter what, we'll get through it together.
Describe your first impression of working with us. Who did you work with and what was the process like?
Our first impression of the store in each of our visits was that we loved the cozy, creative, warm and welcoming vibe of the store. When I first walked in I knew immediately that this was the place that would help us create the perfect ring to celebrate our love. Once I sat down with Britt and she then introduced me to Jay, I couldn't wait to get going. The process felt easy, and in a year where most things felt everything but, it was exciting to have steps and checkpoints to look forward to under Britt's guidance. I loved our little incognito visit, and was grateful for Shatahj's help throughout that day. The day we got the 3D moulds was pretty awesome, because I also picked the gem that day and it just felt so right.
How did you feel when you finally received your love piece?
We were both pretty speechless when we first saw the ring...even though that was weeks apart! There was so much to take in. It made everything suddenly very real! When I picked it up, as soon as I opened the box, Dafina's name was ringing in my ear (no pun intended). It was HER....it was so her! It was of course beautiful, understated-yet-powerful, colourful but classic....it was PERFECT. When Dafina first saw it and put it on, it fit perfectly and she LOVED the colour, shape and look.
What was the most memorable part of working with Anice?
I think the day that Dafina and I visited the store during our incognito visit was my favourite part. I was a bit nervous going in, but once we stepped foot in the store I was confident things would go smoothly. I loved it because even though Dafina wasn't fully aware that the process was well underway, it was the day I got to share in the journey with her, so that was important to me. To watch her get her ring finger sized, and see her try on different rings while I to kept mental notes of the ones she liked was so much fun.
The day Stanley and I visited to check out the 3D moulds and choose the gem was another favourite. Britt and I sat on the front patio, and we just chatted about the plan going forward and I think that was the first time I told her exactly how I was going to propose. Once I chose the gem, I just had this heightened feeling of excitement that went beyond what I had expected. Something about feeling the mould itself and placing the gem inside...it was amazing.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
THANK YOU!!!! Thank you for letting us share our story, and for being such an integral part of it. Thank you for making this such a smooth process, especially during such a wild year. We can't wait to visit the store again soon and pick up some more goodies!
Dante + Dafina + Stanley
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