Love Stories: Avery and Mandy
Meet Mandy and Avery. It was an absolute joy getting to know Avery as we worked together on a very special engagement ring for Mandy. Avery works in creative advertising as a copywriter and met me in San Francisco by way of Denver CO. Mandy is a mental health counselor from Twin Falls, ID. The two played a game of cat and mouse- chasing each other around the West Coast until finally they finally submitted to fate and got engaged. You can find them both living happily ever after in Portland, OR.
1. Share a little bit about your love story with us. What gives you butterflies?
“We often joke that our love story has made us terrible at giving relationship advice. ‘The person of your dreams isn’t just going to walk into your life randomly one day.’ Well, in our case, they did, and it was love at first bottomless-mimosa brunch.
Long story short: Mandy visited Denver for work, Avery moved to San Francisco for school, Mandy visited San Francisco for Avery, Avery surprised Mandy in Portland, and after a couple years of long phone calls, postponing saying “I love you,” saying “I love you,” long distance, and then non-distance, we went to Ireland and got engaged.
And finally started what we were supposed to start when Mandy visited Denver for work.”
2. You just got engaged! What is your next big adventure?
“The wedding! We’re planning for 2017, so that will be our next big adventure. Being engaged is great and all but I [Avery] am really trying to lock this down legally ASAP. In the meantime, we’re excited to have enough time to celebrate our engagement with all our family and friends.”
3. We believe love is best seen in the everyday things. What are your favorite daily or weekly rituals together?
“We love spending time in the kitchen — cooking and experimenting with new recipes and techniques together. But as far as rituals go, the best is probably just enjoying coffee together every morning.
Either that or drinking beers and playing Big Buck Hunter. We almost never do that in the mornings, though.”
4. Tell us your drink of choice.
“Mandy enjoys (and makes really good) Sazeracs. Avery is more of a Scotch guy. But most of the time, we’re just in the mood for beers. “
5. Mandy’s ring has a truly unique story. Can you lay it out for us?
“Mandy took a trip to Thailand in 2013, where she visited a Buddhist Temple in Chiang Mai. While there, a monk gave her a blessing and tied a strand of rope around her wrist, which she wore for the rest of her trip. She gave that string to Avery a year later because, in her words, ‘You embody the spirit of this blessing.’
After keeping it safe for another year, Avery wanted Mandy to have some of those blessings back, along with his own. So he worked with Kendra to cast strands of the rope into an engagement ring for Mandy. Now, she can carry the blessings of that trip, along with Avery’s blessings and love, on her hand always.”
Here is the rope and the wax model in progress.
The raw casting has the rugged texture of the original rope.
Here is the finished ring! Congratulations Avery and Mandy!
