Anna Gionet
At Shane Co., we feel lucky to be a part of such a special day in so many couples’ lives. Hearing our customers’ engagement stories reminds us of the importance of love and companionship and the many meaningful moments along the way. Getting engaged is a big step, but finding the perfect ring is only the beginning, which is why we’re highlighting some of our customers’ love stories and sharing them with the world.
Karrie and Casey are an incredible couple that have had to defy long-distance odds to start planning their life together. We asked them about their journey and how they ended up at Shane Co.
Who are Karrie and Casey?
Karrie is originally from Southern California. She moved to sunny Colorado eight years ago and currently lives with their eight-year-old and four-year-old. She works in the mental health field and focuses on helping people find recovery and treatment across the nation. She’s studying to become a personal trainer, though her dream is to start a food truck company with her now-fiancée, Casey. They have two dogs: a Chihuahua named Rocky and a French bulldog named Frankie.
Casey is an East Coaster from a small town in Connecticut. She grew up with her eccentric Italian family, working in her family’s restaurant before moving to Colorado seven years ago to finish school. Last year, she opened a private practice focusing specifically on providing mental health/addiction services to the LGBTQ+ community. She was offered a job in Thailand shortly after meeting Karrie and just couldn’t pass up the opportunity for new adventures and experiences. She is now the primary therapist at an LGBTQ+ treatment center in Chiang Mai. Karrie and Casey’s dog, Frankie (a.k.a. Meatball), lives with her, while Karrie and the kids remain in the United States. She shares Karrie’s vision of opening up a food truck and sharing her family’s recipes with the world.
Q: How did you two meet?
Casey: It was a Friday night in July. I went to see my friend perform in a play. After the performance, he said, “I want you to meet a couple of my friends.” I met Karrie and she blasted me with information! She asked me so many questions that I left thinking, “What just happened?” On the drive home I thought, well, she’s attractive but probably off limits. My intentions were strictly business … little did I know …
Karrie: Our story is quite dreamy! Honestly, it was love at first sight for me. We had a mutual friend that was in a play, but we didn’t know each other yet. As the play began, the stage lights lit up the first row of seats and I happened to glance over and see Casey. I remember saying to myself, “Wow, she is strikingly gorgeous!” I couldn’t stop looking at her big, beautiful eyes and incredible smile. At the end of the play, she ran up and hugged our mutual friend. I began to introduce myself, talking a mile a minute with excitement. We ended up meeting for coffee a few months later and our love story began.
Q: What is your favorite thing about her?
Casey: I mean, I think I’m hilarious, but Karrie’s catching up to me. I love her humor.
Karrie: My favorite thing about Casey is she has this positive, infectious energy that I instantly felt the moment I met her. She wears a smile and loves to laugh as much as I do!
Q: What are you looking forward to most about married life?
Casey: I was trying to think of something sappy, but honestly just the little things … coffee in the mornings, cooking dinner at night, venting about work, singing in the car, traveling around the world and just laughing our asses off.
Karrie: I’m looking forward to the ordinary and simple things in everyday life. I’m really looking forward to cooking, cleaning, shopping and walking the dogs together. I can’t wait to go on weekend dates to the movies and out to dinner. Most of all, I can’t wait to fall asleep and wake up next to her.
Q: Where do you see yourselves 10 years from now?
Casey: Ten years from now, I’ll be planning Karrie a surprise 50th with all of her friends and family … and lots of tacos.
Karrie: I see us either living in Hawaii or outside of the country and traveling the world together. We’ll have our own businesses and continue to discover, grow and create an adventurous life together for us and the kids. We would like to write a book together as well.
Q: What does “love” mean to you?
Casey: To me, love is a choice and I choose Karrie every day.
Karrie: Love is when you want your partner to be joyous and free to evolve, change and discover what truly makes them happy. Love is when you respect and rely on one another for support, but you don’t lose your own identity.
Q: How did you know you were ready to get engaged?
Casey: I’ve never met anyone like Karrie. Things just fit — she sees me. And have you seen her? Fire!
Karrie: I knew I was ready to get engaged because I couldn’t imagine doing life without Casey. I knew Casey was my person when she encouraged me to truly accept and love myself. She encouraged me to be vulnerable, honest and authentic, while still unconditionally loving all the dark and bright parts of me.
Q: Were you surprised when Karrie popped the question?
Casey: Yes and no. We had talked about marriage. I was actually going to ask her to marry me, but she beat me to it.
Q: How did you plan the proposal?
Karrie: I started working on different ideas a few months before my trip to Thailand. I wanted it to be outside and captured at our favorite time of day, the “Golden Hour” just before the sun goes down. We drove up to a cute mountain town called Pai and stayed at the Quarter Boutique Hotel. I had photographers waiting in a garden and got down on one knee while she sat on a cute little bench. We had a private dinner in the garden as well. I wanted to incorporate a Thailand tradition, so I had us light up wish lanterns and release them.
Q: What was your favorite thing about the proposal?
Casey: My favorite thing was she planned everything from the other side of the world and it was flawless. Every time I turned around, there was another surprise.
Q: What are you looking forward to most about the wedding?
Casey: The endless amounts of pizza, tacos, doughnuts, dancing, karaoke and so much love in one room!
Karrie: We’ve discussed planning a private ceremony in Italy, which I’m really excited about. I’m also really looking forward to celebrating with her family in Connecticut. I can’t wait for karaoke, dancing and laughs.
Q: What advice do you have for couples that are thinking about getting engaged?
Casey: I think Karrie getting a photographer was the best idea ever. They captured everything!
Karrie: Just make sure you always do what works best for the two of you. Don’t worry about what other people think or outside opinions.
Q: What made you choose Shane Co.?
Karrie: Casey sent me a few pictures of rings she really liked. I looked up what company made her first choice and it was Shane Co. I really loved the five-stone setting and the design reminded me of Casey’s style.
Q: What was your favorite part of the shopping experience?
Karrie: My favorite part of the experience was my salesperson, Mitchell Richards! The store was super busy because it was just two days before Valentine’s Day. I walked in and people were waiting in line. I walked around and happened to find the exact ring Casey had picked out. Mitchell approached me and asked if I wanted to see the ring before beginning to explain the design, saying that my boyfriend would love it. I corrected him and said it was actually for my girlfriend. Mitchell didn’t waver or change his enthusiasm and was super supportive! He started to ask about Casey and the proposal. I explained that she lives in Thailand and I had set up an epic engagement in the mountains of Chiang Mai. He began to tell me about the owner, Tom Shane, and how he is often in Thailand and imports many of his gems from there. The connection blew my mind. Mitchell’s knowledge and passion about Shane Co. and his sincere interest in our engagement truly made the whole experience so memorable and exciting.
Q: What do you love about your ring?
Casey: I love wearing my ring, partly because I thought this day would never come. One of my favorite parts of the ring is that it’s simply me. The five diamonds represent each one of us in the family: my fiancée, Karrie; myself; daughter, Lila; son, Holden; and, of course, our dog, Frankie.
Q: Do you have any ideas about what your ring will look like?
Karrie: I’ve looked at a few styles and I’m leaning toward either a cushion or radiant halo diamond design.
Q: Are you going to shop for Karrie’s ring together?
Casey: Shop together? Of course! However, I want to surprise her.
Karrie: Right now, we can’t shop together because Casey is still in Thailand. However, I’m visiting her again in June, so maybe that’s something we can look at together to get ideas. I wish there was a Shane Co. store in Thailand!
Rachel Nipp
Anna Gionet