A Match Made on Campus | Taylor LaRue Designs Fine Jewelry

Jason and Gabby

19 May, 2021

A Match Made on Campus

by TLD Fine Jewelry | May 19, 2022 | Engagement Rings

Gabrielle “Gabby” and Jason met while they were both attending the University of West Georgia. They were both marketing majors and Jason was seated in the front row of a mutual class when he saw Gabby walk in. From that moment, he was on a mission to meet her! “I wanted to find out more, so after seeing her name and photo on various Facebook posts from the school’s marketing club, I decided to reach out.” At the time, Gabby was the VP of membership for the group and was in charge of emailing students. After corresponding through a few emails, Jason reached out through the Facebook group’s page in 2014. “I really liked her respectable nature. She held herself well,” states Jason. They had their first date at Fellini’s and ended the night at an event where some of Jason’s friends were celebrating. From that first date, Gabby knew that he was the one: “He was cool, funny and I just knew that he was the guy for me. He was also my first and only boyfriend!” They continued to date for five years, with Jason coaching football and Gabby living with her parents and working in Atlanta.

The Ring

Some women prefer to share their ring preferences with their loved one and that’s exactly what Gabby did. She let Jason know that to her, “a heart signifies true love and with my birthstone being a diamond, I always knew that I wanted a heart-shaped engagement ring.” Gabby sent photos to Jason of heart-shaped engagement rings and Jason reached out to a good friend who works with the Atlanta Braves and had recently used Taylor LaRue’s designer, Jeff, as a jeweler. She suggested that Jason meet Jeff just to look at ring styles. Once Jason was in the showroom, he immediately was put at ease through Jeff’s knowledge and personal style of service. “He mentioned how rare it was to make a heart-shaped ring and that whenever I was ready, he’d make the ring” stated Jason. He and Jeff continued to talk and developed a timeline.

The Ultimate Surprise Engagement

The couple spoke often of marriage and their shared values, but not about the actual proposal or timing. Gabby told Jason that she wanted to be proposed to when her nails and hands were beautiful, because she wanted to feel feminine and share pictures with family. Through Jason and Jeff’s ring conversations, they started to come up with an idea. Jason worked with his friend that introduced him to Taylor La Rue Designs, who suggested an event planner to make the magic happen. Through this planner, Jason recruited a photographer and videographer who suggested the Grand Hyatt hotel in Atlanta as an elegant and modern city backdrop. The only issue was Jason’s readiness to propose. The event planner and photographers were only available quickly, so Jason had to ramp up his plans and do the proposal sooner than expected. He made time to consult with family and soon got the blessing of Gabby’s mother and sister. He recruited them to help get everyone else on board and to make plans to be at the hotel for the proposal. Jason then planned a special “stay-cation” for him and Gabby the weekend of April 11, 2021 and took her to a hotel room filled with balloons before brunch. Knowing that Gabby loves taking pictures, she asked him if the hotel had a courtyard for photos. They walked to the window and she said, “look someone’s getting married!” Jason then whispered in her ear, “it’s you” and she broke into tears. Once they walked out to the courtyard, Gabby saw her sister and mother, along with a group of family and friends, and she began tearing up again. “I was overwhelmed with the presence of family and love” she claimed.

Looking Forward with Love

After this extravagant proposal, we know that Gabby and Jason will have a great story to tell for the rest of their marriage. And, Gabby was thrilled to receive her heart-shaped diamond engagement ring. “This ring will fit in with my everyday style” she stated. Surrounded by down to earth values and shared interests, they also know that all the decor in the world is only temporary. This proposal is just the start of a path they will continue to carve together.

A Match Made on Campus

Gabrielle “Gabby” and Jason met while they were both attending the University of West Georgia. They were both marketing majors and Jason was seated in the front row of a mutual class when he saw Gabby walk in. From that moment, he was on a mission to meet her! “I wanted to find out more, so after seeing her name and photo on various Facebook posts from the school’s marketing club, I decided to reach out.” At the time, Gabby was the VP of membership for the group and was in charge of emailing students. After corresponding through a few emails, Jason reached out through the Facebook group’s page in 2014. “I really liked her respectable nature. She held herself well,” states Jason. They had their first date at Fellini’s and ended the night at an event where some of Jason’s friends were celebrating. From that first date, Gabby knew that he was the one: “He was cool, funny and I just knew that he was the guy for me. He was also my first and only boyfriend!” They continued to date for five years, with Jason coaching football and Gabby living with her parents and working in Atlanta.

The Ring

Some women prefer to share their ring preferences with their loved one and that’s exactly what Gabby did. She let Jason know that to her, “a heart signifies true love and with my birthstone being a diamond, I always knew that I wanted a heart-shaped engagement ring.” Gabby sent photos to Jason of heart-shaped engagement rings and Jason reached out to a good friend who works with the Atlanta Braves and had recently used Taylor La Rue’s designer, Jeff, as a jeweler. She suggested that Jason meet Jeff just to look at ring styles. Once Jason was in the showroom, he immediately was put at ease through Jeff’s knowing and personal style of service. “He mentioned how rare it was to make a heart-shaped ring and that whenever I was ready, he’d make the ring” stated Jason. He and Jeff continued to talk and developed a timeline.

The Ultimate Surprise Engagement

The couple spoke often of marriage and their shared values, but not about the actual proposal or timing. Gabby told Jason that she wanted to be proposed to when her nails and hands were beautiful, because she wanted to feel feminine and share pictures with family. Through Jason and Jeff’s ring conversations, they started to come up with an idea. Jason worked with his friend that introduced him to Taylor La Rue Designs, who suggested an event planner to make the magic happen. Through this planner, Jason recruited a photographer and videographer who suggested the Grand Hyatt hotel in Atlanta as an elegant and modern city backdrop. The only issue was Jason’s readiness to propose. The event planner and photographers were only available quickly, so Jason had to ramp up his plans and do the proposal sooner than expected. He made time to consult with family and soon got the blessing of Gabby’s mother and sister. He recruited them to help get everyone else on board and to make plans to be at the hotel for the proposal. Jason then planned a special “stay-cation” for him and Gabby the weekend of April 11, 2021 and took her to a hotel room filled with balloons before brunch. Knowing that Gabby loves taking pictures, she asked him if the hotel had a courtyard for photos. They walked to the window and she said, “look someone’s getting married!” Jason then whispered in her ear, “it’s you” and she broke into tears. Once they walked out to the courtyard, Gabby saw her sister and mother, along with a group of family and friends, and she began tearing up again. “I was overwhelmed with the presence of family and love” she claimed.

Looking Forward with Love

After this extravagant proposal, we know that Gabby and Jason will have a great story to tell for the rest of their marriage. And, Gabby was thrilled to receive her heart-shaped diamond engagement ring. “This ring will fit in with my everyday style” she stated. Surrounded by down to earth values and shared interests, they also know that all the decor in the world is only temporary. This proposal is just the start of a path they will continue to carve together.