Jewelry Love Stories: Katie and Mitch
I met Mitch and Katie as they were beginning to take their next big relationship step. As we talked about engagement ring designs and looked at diamonds, the excitement grew and grew. These two are sweet, open-hearted, adventurers and I enjoyed every minute I got to spend with them. After finishing Katie’s engagement set, Mitch surprised Katie with the finished rings and champagne on a pier on Lake Tahoe- at the very spot where they began their relationship years earlier (I nearly melted when I heard this!). Wishing every happiness to these two Santa Rosa-based sweethearts.
Share a little bit about your love story with us. What gives you butterflies?
Mitch: Katie’s sense of adventure and lust for the unknown is what gives me butterflies.
You just got engaged. What is your next big adventure?
Our next big adventure is sailing! We just bought a small sailboat together, which marks our first big purchase as a couple. We are planning some weekend trips out on Tahoe this summer and out from Petaluma to the Bay as well.
I believe love is best seen in the everyday things. What are your favorite daily or weekly rituals together?
Our daily ritual is cooking. Mitch was on a strict anti-inflammatory diet for almost a year, and since then we have spent a lot of time and energy in finding delicious ways to cook healthy at home. We open a bottle of wine, put on some smooth Cubano music, light candles and chop, season, prepare our food together. Here’s the icing on the cake, cleaning up the kitchen after has also become one of the most fulfilling rituals at the end of the night. There is nothing better than a clean space after a wonderful evening.
Could they be any cuter?
What is the best marriage advice you have ever received?
The most realistic marriage advice I have received is that relationships are in constant need of attention. We pay attention to our jobs, our health, our bank accounts – but we don’t actively pay attention or invest in our relationships. Take time to invest in each other and grow together. Another favorite: LAUGH, as much as possible.
You guys brought in heirloom family gold to use in Katie’s engagement rings. I’d love it if you would share the background of where that gold came from.
Katie: My grandfather, Bob Burkhard was a dentist in Downieville, CA and he would get customers who would pay him with gold nuggets. Over time he collected quite a few. My Dad’s wedding ring is made out of the nuggets from the North Fork of the Yuba River as well and Mitch and I loved the idea of pulling that family heritage into our rings.
Katie brought out the gold nuggets from her grandfather and we melted them into her engagement ring.
Mitch took to the casting process like a fish to water.
I hope you love how Katie’s rings turned out. Can you share your experience?
Katie and Mitch show us how to properly rock safety glasses.
Katie holds her rings for the first time
The finished set. Mitch and Katie, thank you both! And congratulations!
