Can you feel the love… because we can. Valentine’s Day is around the corner and we’ve been enjoying all the love that’s come through our showroom doors so far this month. And what better way to celebrate the month of Cupid other than with another SK Love Story? Read on for a sweet tale of Tatiana and Alvin, a beautiful couple that we had the pleasure of working with to make ring dreams come true!
Names: Tatiana Dannenbaum and Alvin Hsia
Current location: New York
Meeting date + location: San Francisco, November 2018
Wedding date + location: TBD! We are still deciding on what kind of wedding we want!
Back to the start of all of this – how did you lovebirds meet?
We met in San Francisco! We had matched on Bumble but quickly found out that we were basically neighbors.
Your first date – give us the details.
Tati: When we initially matched on Bumble we were both about to leave on trips, so Alvin set a calendar reminder to message me in 3 weeks when we’d both be back in town. When we finally met up for our first date, we went to @dandelionchocolate on Valencia street in San Francisco. We talked for hours, shared our first kiss, and made plans to go to a concert together the following week.
When did you first say “I love you”? Who said it first?!
Alvin: I said “I love you” first after about 6 months of dating. I could tell Tati had been feeling it since the beginning, but I appreciated that she gave me the space to fully develop my feelings in my own time.
How or when did you know that your significant other was the one?
Alvin: A few months into dating, we were at Tati’s apartment getting ready to leave on a road trip, and she suggested we bring some snackies for the road and casually sliced up some bell peppers, and threw some olive oil, lemon and flaky salt on top and like that, a snack materialized. She told me she made us some tasty peps, and in that moment I just had a flash forward of her making snacks for our kids one day – it was so simple, but in that moment I knew I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life.
Tati: I knew *immediately* upon meeting him. When he began speaking, my brain flashed through all of the chapters of our life together – I saw us dating, falling in love, getting married, becoming parents and grandparents together. I’d never had an experience like this before, so I attempted to act casual, even though I just met THE ONE.
The proposal – please tell us the story!
Alvin: I proposed to Tati in Copenhagen – one of our favorite cities. I got the ring about 2 months before our trip, and spent a ton of time planning a super special moment. I knew I wanted to propose at Grundtvig’s Kirke because of the iconic architecture, and I worked with an incredible local photographer @ievaviphoto who helped me plan out all of the details. I had thought I was being very sneaky, but she’s a Scorpio and had totally caught on – she had even been documenting all of the clues leading up to the moment.
Tati: The proposal was the most joyful moment of my life. As soon as Alvin turned to me and said “Tati, can I tell you something?” I knew exactly what was happening, and I started crying the happiest tears I’ve ever cried. I might cry again thinking about that moment!
What is your favorite thing about your significant other?
Alvin: It’s impossible to just pick one. My favorite things about Tati are how kind, beautiful, principled, smart, and creative she is. She also has amazing taste in pretty much everything.
Tati: Unquestionably, his warmth. He’s the warmest person I’ve ever met.
Do you have any notable stories that have stood out over the years – hilarious, sentimental, anything!
Tati: When we met on Bumble, I had 2 screening questions for him. For my first question, I asked if he liked cats, and for the second question, I asked if he was a feminist. I’m so grateful that he said yes to both.
What’s your go-to date night idea?
We live in the West Village in NYC, so we love to pop into all of the iconic Italian spots and add our name to the waitlist, and see who we get a call from first! It’s always extra fun when we end the night at a jazz club.
Let’s talk jewels – how did you choose this ring?! Who took the reigns on designing or choosing your ring? Give us all the deets.
Alvin: We had checked out a few designers in New York, but didn’t find anything we loved. Tati and I talked about what we liked and didn’t like, and we were very aligned in the vision for the dream ring. A few months later, Tati got home from a trip to LA, and she sheepishly and excitedly told me she tried on some rings in LA with her mom, and she found one that she fell in love with. She showed me photos, and I thought it was perfect – I got in touch with the wonderful Lisa at Sofia Kaman and bought it within the week.
Tati: A friend sent me Sofia Kaman’s profile on Instagram, and I fell in love with all of her designs. A few months later, I was in LA and visited the Sofia Kaman boutique in Santa Monica with my mom. I tried on a few rings and adored them all, but as soon as the champagne oval Billie was on my finger, I knew it was the one. The Billie is the prettiest thing I’d ever seen, and it felt like the ring had proposed to me – just like in Harry Potter when his wand picked him, I felt like this Billie picked me. I didn’t want to get too attached to that particular ring or stone, but I knew immediately Alvin would love it as much as I did.
How is wedding planning experience? What’s been different about wedding planning than you imagined?
We’ve only been engaged for a few months so we haven’t started planning yet, but we are a great team when it comes to travel planning! We are both designers, so we find a lot of joy in bringing ideas to life together. Alvin’s better with the bigger picture planning, and Tati is really good with the little details, so we are excited to see how that translates to wedding planning.
What are you most excited about for your wedding?
Alvin: The first moment locking eyes with Tatiana as she’s walking down the aisle.
Tati: It’s a tie between exchanging vows and our first dance.
Will there be a honeymoon involved?
1 million percent yes – we’ve been talking about Japan!
Alright – so what does the future hold for the two of you?! Where do you see yourselves in 5 years?
We’re not sure where we will be in 5 years, possibly still in NYC, but possibly back in California, but I definitely see us living in a home with multiple kittens, maybe a puppy… and possibly a baby (or two!)
Finally, if you could add any piece to your SKFJ collection, which one would it be?!
Tati: I’m beyond obsessed with these earrings – I’m imagining how cute they would look stacked together with other piercings!
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