At Secrets, we’re very grateful to be a part of such a beautiful time in a couple’s journey. The most rewarding part of our job is not the sale or tying the final bow on the box, it’s the faces, the squeals, the embraces when we see our boxes being opened. It’s the stories from the “after” that really make us smile and put a spring in our step.
We recently spoke with 21-year-old Natalie, about her engagement and the journey she’s had with her partner, 22-year-old Blake. If you’ve enjoyed any Nicholas Sparks movie, grab a cuppa and prepare for your heart to be melted.
“Blake and I met in high school when we were 16 years old. We bumped into each other on the school bus and as corny as this sounds, we were instantly drawn to each other. We didn’t speak to each other until one day he decided to approach me and have a chat. The connection was instant. We were complete opposites; him being the popular high school boy that played every sport and me just a fiery girl that loved playing music and just moved to Australia from Papua New Guinea.
Although we were opposites, we got along so well. From that day on we were inseparable.
For years we had a rollercoaster relationship that was very testing. My mum always joked and called us the ‘real life Romeo and Juliet’.
A lot of people didn’t want us together because they didn’t think I was good enough for Blake. They did everything in their power to break us, but he stood by me through everything and fought for our love.
Our love was so strong that nothing and no one could break us, as hard as they tried.
A few years later we were blessed with our beautiful baby girl Nala. She made our bond even stronger. After having Nala we decided we needed to make sacrifices and work hard to give her the best life/future possible so Blake enrolled into the ADF.
Blake had been waiting for more than a year to receive his letter to leave to the Army so we started to get comfortable and think he wouldn’t get deployed until one day he received his letter that he had to leave in the next two weeks. It was heartbreaking because I knew he’d be gone for months and our only form of contact was sending letters to each other.
He told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me but he couldn’t propose without the perfect ring, so when he had to leave I lost hope that we’ll ever get a chance to get married or for him to even propose.
For weeks I had been struggling to find my feet as now, the full time carer of our baby girl, while working full time as a Flight Attendant and handling the stress of all our finances.
It was a Friday afternoon and I just got home from a 12 hour shift so I was physically and emotionally exhausted, my feet hurt and I just wanted to rest but I knew I had to quickly shake that off, have a cup of coffee and be full-time mum again.
I came home to a package and a letter for Blake in the mailbox. I was so so happy to receive a letter, it was just what a needed. But I was very confused about the package as I didn’t order anything and it was addressed to me.
I opened the package and saw this beautiful ring in there. I quickly opened the letters as well and to my surprise he had planned this entire thing, got the ring sent to our house and in his letter, asked me to marry him.
I was in tears because I knew how much effort he put into this entire proposal and he made it happen even though we are thousands of kilometres apart. He showed me just how special I am to him which was so beautiful.
Although he didn’t get to propose the way he wanted to; this proposal means so much more to me and I couldn’t imagine a better proposal. It was perfect.
Our love is so strong that I know it will travel with us to the future, as it has in the past.”
Blake chose the small round halo ring in yellow gold for Natalie, which we think is the perfect combination of elegance and femineity.
But when it comes to this couple, this engagement ring means so much more than an extra touch of sparkle.
“My ring means the world to me. It is a symbol of Blake’s love for me and I feel so proud when I have it on. When I look at my ring, my heart fills up with so much warmth and happiness. I feel so confident and beautiful when I wear it.”
Her favourite cut is the round brilliant cut because, “it’s such a classic, elegant look and the sparkle on them is absolutely beautiful.” And we couldn’t agree more! You can shop Natalie’s ring and other round brilliant pieces below.
Want to learn more about the round brilliant diamond cut? Read this!
