Chicago Engagement Tips - Buying your rings
Trying to plan your wedding during COVID is no easy feat and at times, it can feel like so much of the excitement has been taken away from us - we can’t cheers our girlfriends over bubbles at the favorite brunch spot or hug our out of town cousins. But there ARE still plenty of fun, low-stress, things you can do to enjoy your Chicago engagement and keep planning your wedding during COVID.
For years, it’s been common practice for me to first “meet” many of our RMP couples over the phone. With couples living as far as Hong Kong or planning weddings in Santorini, it was important that all of our office systems be flexible when it comes to geography. But while it’s easy to virtually get to know your photographer, how does that work for something you need to try on? Like your rings? Frankly, I personally never knew my ring size, and it’s kept me from buying some beautiful pieces I’ve ogled online.
So what was I supposed to do when, in the middle of this crazy pandemic, I completely skipped the Chicago engagement phase and decided to elope?!
Enter HOLDEN. My friends, I would have never imagined selecting rings virtually could be so easy. So easy in fact, I’m taking the time to write a blog post to sing the praises of a ring company, which I can explain in something as easy as 5 bullet points.
Their website is beautifully designed and walks you through each aspect of a ring you need to decide on, with (and this is the kicker) every single option represented in real life photos. This should sound like a no brainer but you’d be shocked how lacking so many websites are. Style, shape, metal, width, karat, finish, etc - Don’t know what half of those things are? Don’t worry about it. Click on the options and you’ll see a lovely real life example. When our rings arrived they looked exactly how they looked on screen. Coming from someone who is constantly trying to edit photos to look the same both on your phone and printed in your hands, matching a screen to real life is no easy accomplishment!
Don’t know your ring size? No problem. HOLDEN will ship you a free sizing kit that works like a charm (and when I say free, I mean you’re not even submitting your payment details for shipping. 100% free). I was worried I wouldn’t choose the size properly if I fell between whole sizes without the advice of a pro, but nope. My ring fits perfectly. Oh, and just in case it doesn’t, they offer complimentary resizing, for life.
Ok, so those first 2 options are pretty obvious if you are launching an online jewelry company, aren’t they? It’s like me saying “I know how to take good photos.” Your natural response should be, “Well, you have a career as a professional photographer so I’d hope so!”
So what actually sets Holden apart from the crowd?
THIS is where I get particularly excited. If you’ve followed me on Instagram for even the shortest amount of time, you know that I firmly believe the fastest way any of us can bring about change in this world is to support businesses with the same values as our own. Here’s where buying our rings from HOLDEN became a no-brainer.
Rings are made with recycled precious metals and lab-grown diamonds. If you don’t know why you should consider a lab-grown diamond for your ring, send me an email and let’s chat. There are some terribly sad bits of information regarding the diamond industry that would be a big buzz kill to this helpful, let’s-get-back-to-the-excitement-of-being-engaged blog post.
One look at any of HOLDEN’s marketing material, and you’ll know right away that, like RMP, HOLDEN believes love is love is love is love. There’s no “groom’s rings” and “bride’s rings” to search for on their site. There are just rings. And they are putting their money where their marketing is by donating 1% of all sales to the Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people.
If 1% sounds small to you, to most of us small business owners, it sounds realistic and sustainable. That is, if you are charging fair rates in the first place. HOLDEN is skipping the old jewelry industry pricing model and has transparent information about their pricing right on their about page (not to mention, that 1% means a minimum $25,000 donated per year).
Fun fact: It's Italian custom to have the name of your partner engraved inside your wedding ring, as well as the date. But since Americans and Europeans write the date differently, we had a little fun with our engravings. Inside of Francesco's ring is my name and 12.14.2020. But inside of my ring, is his name with 14.12.2020. Thank goodness we got married on a date larger than 12! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you are interested in checking out Holden for your own Chicago engagement rings or wedding bands, click this link for a special little gift, just for RMP couples.