Near Christmas last year, when Paul and I had only been dating a few months and marriage was far from my mind, I ran across a photo of Napa Valley on a vintage decor Pinterest board. I immediately thought it was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen, which is unusual for me - I’m not usually particular when it comes to jewelry. I’ve never been one of those girls with a wedding Pinterest board, but I loved this ring SO much that I wanted to save it (just in case I could have a similar one made someday). I created a secret board with just one pin - Napa Valley - and forgot about it. Flash forward nine months, and Paul asked me one evening (totally out of the blue) what kind of engagement ring I would be interested in. I was so surprised he was asking, and completely embarrassed that I had saved a picture of a ring months earlier, but I loved Napa Valley so much that I decided to show him the photo. He took a screen capture of my pin, noted how much I love all things vintage, and that was it… he never brought it up again, except to mention that the original ring had already sold. I completely believed him. What are the odds it would be available for so long?
A few months later, Paul and I planned a trip to Northern California to pick up some couches from a friend of his. Pretty mundane… I definitely wasn’t expecting a proposal! Little did I know, Paul was actually scheming to get me to Big Sur, one of my FAVORITE places in the world. His friend lived inland, so Paul had the daunting task of casually getting me to the coast. As it turned out, the Grapevine was closed the weekend of our trip due to mudslides and subsequent road closures. Suddenly driving up PCH didn’t seem so outrageous, although it was still quite a bit out of our way. Paul suggested we make our road trip more fun by driving along the coast, which seemed a little weird to me because it would mean so much extra driving, but I didn’t think too much of it.
We left Camarillo early on a Saturday morning, watched the sunrise over Santa Barbara, and continued up Pacific Coast Highway. Paul had never driven this scenic, coastal route before, so we stopped several places along the way to take pictures.
One place we stopped was especially beautiful. It was high on a cliff, with a stunning black sand beach below, and the most amazing turquoise water. We always joke that I need to take all the pictures in the relationship (I used to be a professional photographer, and photos are not Paul’s strong suit). I thought nothing of it when he casually asked me to take a picture with his phone. I did, and then turned around to hand the phone back to him. I was completely shocked to see him down on one knee, ready to propose! My first reaction was to get down on the same level as him, so I actually knelt in front of him… probably not the norm but I was so surprised! I (of course) said yes… several times if I recall correctly.
As it turns out, Paul had planned an entire amazing day for us in Monterey, filled with my favorite activities. It was so considerate, and an absolutely perfect day. And at the end of it all, we actually did go pick up couches! Ha!
I absolutely adore my ring. The best part of my morning routine is putting it on, and saying a prayer for the one who gave it to me. I can’t believe I get to wear it from here on out!
Thank you so much for the part you played in our story. We are truly appreciative of you folks at Trumpet and Horn!
A huge congratulations to you two from the entire Trumpet & Horn team! ♥