Celebrating love comes easy – and we get to do it daily! This February, we are looking at new ways to incorporate our community into what we do – because really, they’re the reason why we do what we do. For the next 4 weeks (it’s a Leap Year, folks!), we’ll be highlighting couples and their Love Story that led them to us. There’s even an *extra special* project we’re working on right now that has a little (a lot) to do with you!
Sophia (Social Media + Marketing Manager) here – and I’m chiming in with the first Love Story of the month. It’s near and dear to my heart, and it’s the one of my best friends Marissa & Max. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Marissa for about 6 years, and Max nearly the same. Marissa and I first met and established our friendship as each other’s work wives – so it was serious 😉
It’s been an absolute joy watching these two on their journey, and I’m honored to have played a part of their forever. . You see, I had been (not-so) patiently waiting for the green light that a proposal was happening… and was eager to lend my expertise, having a number of years in the fine jewelry industry. So when Max made the drive from Fresno, CA to the SKFJ showroom in Santa Monica, I knew I wanted to help Max design Marissa’s dream ring. And Max – we nailed it!
Without further ado…. Marissa Bell and Max Stanley 🤍
Current location: Fresno, CA
Meeting date + location: 7/21/18 in Newport Beach, CA
Wedding date + location: We’re enjoying being engaged right now! We’ll start talking about wedding plans come the Spring, but it’s been really nice to simply celebrate the past few months and soak it in before the chaos begins.
Back to the start of all of this – how did you lovebirds meet?
We used to tell people mutual friends… but to tell you the truth we met on Bumble! We swiped right on each other, and Max got to planning our first date within the first few messages.
Your first date – give us the details.
I had just moved to California 2 weeks prior to our first date (literally 2 weeks). I wasn’t expecting anything to come of it but I figured it’d be good to start dating even if we just became friends. Max booked us a resy at Pirozzi in Corona Del Mar. I was so nervous especially because we never even texted leading up to the date. I didn’t even have his number! We coordinated the date on Bumble, I checked with him on Saturday that he was still going to show up and that was it. My nervousness went away pretty quickly because once I showed up, his demeanor put me at ease. He was confident, but also fun and witty. We chatted the entire time, but it was also the first time I felt really comfortable on a first date where a moment of silence wasn’t killing me. We had drinks, charcuterie, pasta, and wine. By the end, we could tell that we still wanted to keep hanging so he suggested we walk to the Side Door for a night cap. We ordered an ice cream sundae to split and another glass of wine. We both left that night knowing we definitely wanted to see each other again and planned another date for asap.
When did you first say “I love you”? And who said it first?!
Almost exactly 6 months on the dot! It wasn’t the most romantic, but it’s a fun one to tell. I knew I loved Max, but really wanted him to say it first. We were going out to dinner and he was having a dirty martini at the house beforehand, so I knew he would be feeling loose come dinner. Once we got there, he had another martini and I blurted out, “so are you ever going to tell me you love me?!” He got up and he came over to my side of the table and told me how he was very much in love with me. I finally got to say it back.
How or when did you know that your significant other was the one?
There wasn’t an exact moment where I knew, but eventually just a feeling of ease knowing that I was with my person. I felt calm, I felt comfortable (in a good way!), and I knew I wanted to do life with him.
The proposal – please tell us the story!
Truly the best day! I can’t put into words how special it was. Max and I spent a lot of the summer apart because I was on the East Coast seeing family and celebrating my best friend’s wedding, and he was here in California starting a new job. We planned a trip to Santa Barbara for early October once I was back, and we were just excited to spend uninterrupted time with each other in a beautiful place. Max planned it all and he put so much effort into it. He planned a wine tasting trip to Roblar Winery in Santa Ynez on Sat 10/7 and the weather was stunning. It’s a 40 minute drive from downtown Santa Barbara and we were both excited to taste good wine and be outside.
We got to the winery and we were one of the first reservations and it’s the most gorgeous setting. Our server, Scott, was super charismatic and friendly. We started with our white wine and then Scott asks us if we want a tour of the property – of course we say yes. He takes us around for a few minutes and then one of his coworkers calls him away to serve some other tables, but he lets us know that if we follow this one walkway then we’ll see the rest of the vineyard. We part ways and we go to this beautiful patio where the vineyard is in front of us and we ask a woman to take a photo of us. As she’s taking our photo, Max starts getting down on one knee and the rest is blur! Everyone at the winery was in on it, the woman taking our photo was a professional and at some point switched to her professional camera to take our photos. We then got to sit back there for a few minutes and soak it all in. We go back to our table, all the employees are saying congratulations and being super sweet. Scott said screw the regular tasting menu and brought us different wines and snacks. It was so special. I think the best part was that we didn’t have service there so we really got to sit down, laugh, and take it all in.
Do you have any notable stories that have stood out over the years – hilarious, sentimental, anything!
Did you read the part about us saying “I love you”?!
What’s your go-to date night idea?
We’re both homebodies so our ideal date night is putting on a fun playlist, drinking cocktails while playing Rummikub, and then making a really yummy dinner.
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.
I knew that I wanted a gold band and oval diamond… that’s pretty much it! We had tried them on to make sure at a random jeweler and it was confirmed that’s what I wanted. I told two of my besties that we were getting closer and closer to getting engaged. One of my best friends (hiiiii Sophia ;)) works here at Sofia Kaman, immediately texted Max, and they took it from there. They truly picked all the little details together and made it perfect. I couldn’t ask for a more beautiful, perfect ring for me! It’s been 4 months and I still stare at it every day.
The funniest part about the process was that once Max already had the ring (I learned this after the fact), he started freaking out about if the ring was going to be too small. He couldn’t remember if I was a 5 or 5.5. He looked at some of my other rings I wear daily (on different fingers, mind you) and frantically texted Sophia the week before the engagement saying the ring wasn’t going to fit me and how fast could it be resized. It was indeed not too small!
How is wedding planning experience? What’s been different about wedding planning than you imagined?
TBD… I’ll be able to answer this in a few months ☺ Really soaking up this season together.
What are you most excited about for your wedding?
Celebrating with all of our people around us! We’ve never had all of our families and friends together [in one place] and I am so excited to bring them all together to eat, drink, dance, and have a blast.
Will there be a honeymoon involved?
Absolutely! We’re beach people so it’ll involve pool side hanging and the beach with a side of adventure. We shall see!
Alright – so what does the future hold for the two of you?! Where do you see yourselves in 5 years?
We recently moved out of Southern California and we live where Max grew up. We’re hoping to buy a house within the next few years to lay down some roots and create a home. We’ll be married, and maybe have one kid or one on the way! Before that though, we want to travel to Europe for an extended vacation.
Finally, if you could add any piece to your SKFJ collection, which one would it be?!
Everything from SKFJ is insanely gorgeous! It’s too hard to pick. If I had to, I’d say the Half and Half – Emerald and Diamond Bracelet. I love emeralds and the bracelet is a classic I could wear everyday.
