Kyle & Bernadeth
A Love Story That Knows No Bounds
How Kyle designed the custom ring of Bernadeth’s dreams
They had only been on two dates when Kyle packed up his life in Kelowna and moved to Vancouver. But Kyle and Bernadeth had something special, and they held on to one another. Now, they’re married and have a beautiful custom ring to celebrate a love story that knows no bounds.
JK: How did you meet?
Kyle: It was 2017 and we were both working at Kelowna International Airport and happened to see each other at work quite often. That’s when we started to form a bit of a relationship and talk, and things went from there.
Bernadeth: For our first date we went for coffee. We talked until the shop closed and went for a walk along Okanagan Lake. We were just kind of getting to know each other, and then he told me he was moving the next week. We were able to have a second date before he left, and that’s when we decided to try long-distance. It was only for about six months because then I followed him to Vancouver.
JK: Tell us all about the proposal!
Kyle: I always dreamed of proposing in Hawaii—somewhere warm on the beach. So that’s what I did. I planned a photoshoot because I wanted the moment to be captured, but I didn’t want her to be suspicious. Her cousin is a photographer, and he and I made up this whole story that his friend in Hawaii was trying to get started as a photographer, and we would be helping her build her portfolio. Her cousin got on board and really helped sell the story.
We went to a very secluded beach at the north tip of Oahu, and that’s where I proposed during the photoshoot.
JK: What inspired you to create a custom engagement ring?
Kyle: I started working on the custom engagement ring quite a few months before Hawaii. My mom actually works at JK Schmidt, and it kind of gave us a special opportunity to create this custom ring together. I always wanted to create a custom engagement ring. For me, I wanted Bernadeth to know that it was special, one of a kind, and no one else had that exact ring.
JK: Tell us about your experience shopping for a custom engagement ring.
Bernadeth: I’d been teasing him about it quite a bit before we got engaged and would show him rings that I found on Pinterest. He had a good idea of what I wanted. He designed a rose gold engagement ring with a one-carat diamond on top and four smaller diamonds that twist around it. The sides of the ring have two stones from Kyle’s mom’s engagement ring that we were able to incorporate, which is super special.
JK: What about your wedding bands? Are they also custom?
Bernadeth: Neither of our wedding bands is custom, but Kyle got a white gold band with two strips of rose gold that goes really well with my set. At first, I thought my wedding band would have to be custom to fit my engagement ring, but we were able to find one at JK Schmidt that was the perfect fit. We engraved our wedding bands with our initials and the date of our wedding.
JK: Have you had your wedding yet? Give us the details!
Kyle: We had it here in New Westminster right on the Quay. Our wedding ceremony was on a rooftop patio, and then it ended up being a really hot and beautiful day. All our family and friends came over for the wedding, and everything was in one spot, which was really nice. My parents are from West Kelowna, most of her family is from Saskatoon, and we also had guests from Chicago, Winnipeg and the Island. It was nice to have everyone together. It made it really special.
Bernadeth: We also got my wedding day jewelry through JK Schmidt. I got long, dangly white gold diamond earrings and a matching necklace. They are beautiful, but we actually lost them for a little bit on the day of the wedding after the photoshoot. Thank goodness we ended up finding them!
JK: Now that you’re both pros, do you have any advice for other couples looking for the perfect engagement ring and wedding bands?
Kyle: Just take your time and enjoy the process. It can be fun, it can be educational, and it’s definitely an intimate moment and time in your life for you and your partner, and that’s what makes it so special.
Bernadeth: It’s about more than just the jewelry when you do a custom ring. When people have questions, I like to tell them my husband took the time to go and create it with his mom, included diamonds from her ring and added their own personal touch to it. I have a story to tell about my ring.
