A+T Custom clients Kate + Trini walk us through the in's + out's of planning a 2020 wedding, and talk about their one of a kind experience designing a custom engagement ring with shop owner Viviana Langhoff.
Kate + Trini have been clients of Adornment + Theory since they partnered with Viviana to design Kate's gorgeous Celtic inspired custom engagement ring.
Q: How did you meet?
We were in the same high school class and knew a lot of the same people, but amazingly did not meet until years later when our mutual friend organized a get-together at a bar in Lincoln Park. Trini had been out for beers and college basketball with some buddies, so he wasn’t exactly dressed to impress – he was wearing his neon yellow Aria windbreaker. We both knew everyone there except for each other, so we were intrigued to meet. As soon as we started talking there was an instant attraction (and Kate actually liked the windbreaker!)
Q: Tell us what you love about your ring
I love that my engagement ring is truly one-of-a-kind, has such special meaning for me (incorporating a modern take on a Celtic Trinity Knot from my Irish heritage), and seamlessly incorporates both vintage and contemporary design elements. We also bought my wedding band from A+T – it’s a simple gold band which allows my beautiful engagement ring to shine.
Q: What was the process of designing your ring like?
From the initial meetings where we discussed my style and vision all the way to Viviana tweaking her sketches to make the ring just right, the process was incredibly fun, personal, and collaborative. Viviana truly listened and incorporated our ideas and feedback into the design throughout the process, while also suggesting elements I would never have thought of, but which ended up being some of my favorite parts of the design (including adding two beautiful and rare kite-shaped white sapphires as side stones). The process of designing my ring with Trini and Viviana is a memory I will always cherish (so much so that Viviana’s original sketches are framed in our home!)
Q: What was your favorite part of the wedding?
We had planned a 150-person wedding, and when COVID hit we made the decision to cut our guest list to just immediately family and 2 very close friends. We both agree that that our favorite part of the wedding was being able to spend so much quality time with the most important people in our lives. With just 10 guests, our wedding had such a special, intimate feel that we would not have had with our original wedding plan.
Q: Is there anything you would have changed?
Nope! Having all our friends and family there would have been nice, but in the end, being able to focus on each other and our closest family and friends turned out to be perfect. (And we are having a bigger celebration with our full guest list at a later date, so it’s fun to be able to look forward to that!)
Q: Do you have any advice for couples who are planning their wedding now?
Especially when planning a wedding during COVID, keep things in perspective, go with the flow, and keep an open mind. We ended up changing almost everything about the wedding due to COVID (the date, venue, guest list, music, and almost all our vendors) just weeks before we got married. Despite (or maybe because of) all that, our wedding was more special and memorable than we could have even imagined.
And in the words of a famous quarterback just a little north of here, “R-E-L-A-X.” Weddings can be very stressful… but they don’t have to be. We tried to keep things simple and focus on the most important thing: us becoming one as a couple.
Photos by Ben Ramos Photography