Norea and Michael met a few years ago in Athens on a hot summer's day. He was Canadian but lived in Athens, where he taught and directed acting. She was on holiday from Denmark and was about to start her studies as a midwife when she returned home from her holiday. It was an utterly enchanting night, and only a week later, on a beach in the small village of Sougia on the south coast of Crete, they became a couple.
I heard the story from Michael when he emailed me to ask if I would design an engagement ring for Norea. They had already discussed getting married and she had looked at engagement rings, which she found infinitely boring – with a few exceptions from Castens. So, he was now in Greece and emailing a goldsmith in Denmark for help in asking the nerve-wracking question. Our email correspondence became extensive, because in addition to discussing the design, choice of materials and sketches, which I sent to him, we ended up writing about many other interesting things. Indeed, it felt as if we had already been friends for a long time when we first met in the shop, where he collected the ring for her “cutest fingers in the world”.
The ring I had made for Norea was crafted from 18k warm yellow gold and twisted around a beautiful green sapphire that complemented her eyes wonderfully. The ring was soft, smooth and comfortable, and I actually found it a little difficult to let go of this beautiful gemstone, but this couple and their unique love deserved it!
Unsurprisingly, Norea said “yes” when Michael proposed to her, and therefore I had the opportunity to meet the woman Michael was so in love with. ”It's understandable,” I thought, as she stepped into the shop, beaming and eager to design wedding rings that would match her engagement ring, thus creating a so-called bridal set. And this time it was Michael's turn to have a ring designed.
We decided on a design for her that closely resembled the main scroll of the engagement ring and nestled up against it with a small green diamond. His ring was to be primarily made of white gold, but with a narrow band of the same yellow gold as Norea's, which ended in a small tail that twisted up over the ring. – A small nod to the large scroll on her ring.
No adventure without tribulations, and here came the challenge in the form of the classic dilemma: Where should they settle down together? In which country? Because depending on the policies a chosen country had regarding family reunification, it could become more than difficult to unite two lovers! Knowing that they eventually wanted children, the couple decided to settle in Denmark – close to her family and with a welfare system that supports a small, new family. And the easiest way for Michael to obtain permanent residency was for them to get married immediately, even though they dreamed of a romantic beach wedding with the whole family in Crete in April. Instead, in March, they had a small, informal wedding in a church in Vesterbro, only witnessed by the priest and two strangers arranged by the priest. ”It was so private, perfect and romantic,” Norea wrote to me afterwards, when she sent a picture of the two of them shortly after the wedding ceremony.
They had no idea how fertile a young couple living and travelling together could be, and a few months later, on a holiday where they thumbed their way through Europe, slept under the stars and climbed mountains, they had to realise that Marlie was on her way. What’s more, the wedding in Crete, which they had spent the last few months planning, was going to coincide exactly with Marlie’s arrival! Therefore, the couple decided to postpone their Greek adventure with family and friends for another year and instead hold a combined 1st birthday and wedding.
And then we went to Greece!
On Marlie's first birthday, Norea and Michael finally found themselves back on the beach where it all began. This time, surrounded by family and friends (including yours truly), they were finally able to exchange their vows in precisely the way they had dreamed of from the very start. It was an utterly enchanting week, which the couple had meticulously planned for their guests! We all met for the first time at an informal "pay-as-you-go" lunch (the preferred way to eat in Greece) in Chania, where conversation flowed freely before we threw ourselves into an Escape Room – an excellent way to get strangers to bond. As the day drew to a close, we all met again by the Venetian lighthouse to celebrate the start of our shared adventure and enjoy the sunset.
The following days consisted of good conversations, trips to the beach, and an absolutely fantastic drive through the mountains to reach Sougia on the island's southern side – a small village with a few hotels and tavernas by the water's edge, and not much else apart from mountains at its back and a wonderful view of the sea. It was hard not to feel inspired here!
On the beach, we practised Greek dancing, swam in the sea and explored the surroundings (where some Roman ruins could still be seen), before we all met on the beach for their very informal wedding ceremony.
We began the ceremony together with what would surely have been called a ”kneesitting” in Viking times: the guests collectively made promises to look after Marlie and ensure she had every opportunity to grow up to be the best version of herself. We also brought gifts for her – I had naturally brought a small protective Dragonling with her name engraved – the perfect companion for a little girl! After that, we were asked to write some words of encouragement for her in relation to a specific moment in her future life, which we were to keep in a blue envelope along with an item from the trip. At the end of the holiday, Norea and Michael collected these envelopes, and they will look after them carefully until the day Marlie faces this challenge in her life. I wrote a few tips for her first job interview, but what else I put in the envelope will have to remain a secret until she opens it herself 😉
And then came the couple's vows which – in their usual style – were charmingly informal and very romantic.
Ahhhh… it's hard being a grumpy onion with SO much love 🙂
The evening naturally continued with fantastic food, plenty of wine and raki, as well as a number of wedding traditions contributed by the various nationalities at the wedding.
In the end, we all ended up back on the beach – in a circle of paper lanterns, where music, dancing, and more raki concluded a truly enchanting experience.
This isn't the first time I've attended a client's wedding, but it's still something quite special and an experience that makes me humbly grateful to have played this small part in their ceremony. I like all my clients and usually, we have fun together while designing a very special piece of jewellery, but sometimes they become friends in the process – and that's a double blessing!
Read more about the concept Bridal set here
Would you also like to have a set of wedding rings created entirely to your wishes, then
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