A sneaky sickie and a secret proposal

Courtney and Sheridynn are both paramedics. They work the same job, on the same shifts, with the same days off. And to top it off, Courtney can read Sheridynn like a book. So when Sheridynn decided to ask Courtney to marry her, she needed to pull out all the stops to keep her proposal a secret.

Over the next few months Sheridynn took note whenever Courtney pointed out a design she liked or commented what she might one day want in an engagement ring.

“If an ad came up on my phone for rings I would say, ‘if you had to pick a ring which one would it be?’ Or if we walked past a jewellery shop, I noticed she was always pointing out similar rings,” Sheridynn said.

“She always told me she would like it to be a white metal. Courtney has two sisters (and two brothers), but her mum gave each of the girls jewellery of different colours growing up, and Courtney’s was always white. Her sisters were rose and gold. So this was something that was really important to her.

Courtney is a very strong person. She knows what she wants and is very black and white. At the same time she is also super chill, and very practical. She’s intelligent and well travelled and an incredibly beautiful human. I came to the conclusion that she would love something simple, strong and elegant. And I think this ring reflects all of these things perfectly.”

Next, it was time to find her ring size as stealthily as possible.

“I actually took Courtney in to a jeweller to get her thumb size measured, as she lost a ring snorkelling one day that she’d had since she was a kid. I made it my mission to find one similar for her. Whilst we were there I said let’s get both our engagement fingers measured for one day down the track when one of us proposes. We had always discussed that we’d like to get married and it was an easy way to take that stress away.”

With a style in mind and a size confirmed, it was time to design.

But Sheridynn and Courtney were both home together. All. The. Time.

That meant no suspicious phone calls and no sneaking away to discuss the ring. Instead, Sheridynn completed this engagement ring questionnaire, which contains five questions to inspire a custom ring design.

I learned that they met at university, both studied the same degree and played on the same sports team. They were good friends for a few years before becoming a couple.

Over email, Sheridynn and I refined the design and created a handmade platinum ring with a band that sweeps gracefully up towards a solitaire diamond.

Simple, strong and elegant.

A few weeks of anticipation later, the ring was ready.

Sheridynn was nervous. As they both worked the same shifts, picking up the ring in secret was going to be tricky. She had to get creative.

“I got lucky that Court started work an hour before me that day, but when she got up I told her I had a thumping headache and didn’t think I would go in. She straight away went in to caring mode and didn’t suspect a thing – I felt so guilty all day.

I called my mum and told her I couldn’t believe I’d lied to her. Mum kept telling me it was for a good reason and Courtney would laugh about it when she found out – which she did! Court was messaging me all day to make sure I was resting and looking after myself. I couldn’t wait to see the final product – and it was incredible.

I kept the ring hidden in my drawer of puzzles – lucky Courtney hates puzzles so I knew it was a place she’d never find it!”

With the ring in hand, it was over to Sheridynn!

“I proposed on a holiday to Perth,” Sheridynn said. “I had organised with Margaret River Proposal Co to arrange a picnic on the beach, with a tipi tent, cheese platter and champagne. We spent the day driving down the coast and exploring the area. Courtney was distracted looking at fish and didn’t want to leave this beautiful pier we found. I had to convince her to leave to make it in time for sunset.

I was nervous about all the stars aligning, the weather being right, making it on time. But I also couldn’t wait to ask her to marry me – I’d been planning it for so long and was so excited to propose.

I turned to a mumbled mess and couldn’t remember the little speech I prepared but that didn’t matter. We’re both so happy.

She absolutely loves her ring! I constantly catch her staring at it, which is so nice. She thinks it’s beautiful and perfect.”

“I can normally read Shez like a book, she doesn’t keep much from me at all. I was a bit suss on the day as she was super quiet and seemed stressed. She kept looking at her phone and her face goes red when she’s stressed, so I had an inclination that she was planning something special.

It sounds cheesy, but it felt like we were floating when she was saying her words for the proposal. My best friend, partner and soulmate was pouring her heart out to me and asking me to spend forever with her. We were on cloud nine for days after the proposal, and in such a beautiful part of the world to celebrate and take it all in.”

Not to be outdone, Courtney approached me a few months later to create a secret engagement ring for Sheridynn.

We chose a platinum solitaire style to match Courtney’s classic design, but changed it up with a bold salt and pepper diamond for a beautiful contrast. Same same, but distinctly different.

The wedding bands were sleek platinum rings, each set with a hidden diamond on the inside. Black for Courtney, to match Sheridynn’s engagement ring. White for Sheridynn, to match Courtney’s engagement ring.

Sheridynn and Courtney planned a fun, festival-style wedding. However, as it is known to do, COVID tried its best to throw a spanner in the works.

“COVID has made it difficult for us to have all our loved ones with us for our big day,” Sheridynn said in the lead up to the wedding. “We lived in the UK for 3 years, so many of our friends still live there and may not be able to come. Courtney’s entire family live interstate, so we run the risk of having to change everything if any states lock down or close their borders. We’re staying positive though, and hopefully the stars align and it all works out as planned.”

“We want food trucks, acoustic music, sunshine and our loved ones around us to celebrate our vow to spend forever by each other’s side,” Sheridynn said.

February 2022 rolled around. Lockdowns lifted. Wedding density limits were waived. And life seemingly went back to normal.

Then came the rain. Torrential downpours hit the Australian east coast causing intense flooding and evacuations in some areas. It rained continuously for weeks. And it was starting to look like the wedding would be a wash out.

But even as their dreams of a sunshine-filled wedding seemed to evaporate, Courtney and Sheridynn weren’t phased. They came to pick up their wedding rings all smiles and positivity (partly because they were so excited to see their new bling)!

Then came February 26th. It was forecast to rain all day. But the skies cleared just for their wedding and didn’t open up again until they were married.

The perfect finish to the perfect day.

Sheridynn and Courtney’s beautiful event was captured by Heart and the Sea.

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