Meet the latest couple in the Chupi Engagement Series : Danielle and Matt. Danielle tells us about her gorgeous engagement in New York City with the most beautiful You Me & Magic Grey Diamond Engagement Ring.

Matt and I met over 5 years ago and although it wasn’t a fairytale meeting, I’m glad I swiped right! It took us a while to go on a date, we were both at The University of Sheffield and were busy with work and final exams. We finally met up for a drink a couple of months later, we ended up chatting for hours and hit it off. Since then, we’ve stayed in Sheffield, moved in together, done lots of travelling and adopted a dog.

We headed to NYC last Autumn as a 30th Birthday treat, our birthday’s being only a few weeks apart. We had arranged to have a trip on a sailboat from Brooklyn which took us around Manhattan and up to Ellis Island. The trip was amazing, the weather was gorgeous and we were having the best time!

I was completely gobsmacked. I had NO idea he was planning it!! I’m usually a bit of a control freak and I thought I knew every detail of the trip, so it completely took me by surprise.

Just as we were underneath the Statue of Liberty, sitting at the front of the boat and admiring the amazing views, Matt started to get a little fidgety. He then pulled out a beautiful pink velvet box with a sparkly ring inside and popped the question!

He also brought out a polaroid picture of our dog Charlie sitting with the Chupi bag with the caption ‘Say yes’. Charlie is such a huge part of our lives and it was so lovely that he was a small part of the special moment. I was completely gobsmacked. I had NO idea he was planning it!! I’m usually a bit of a control freak and I thought I knew every detail of the trip, so it completely took me by surprise. The whole thing was just so lovely, the setting, the day, the ring ! I was over the moon!

We enjoyed the rest of the trip on the boat and then called both our families to tell them the news. We had lots planned for the rest of the day, but ended up just wandering around Brooklyn in this big excited bubble and went for pizza and champagne to celebrate!

Matt had only told my Dad and my sister, Chloe about his plans to propose, so it was a lovely surprise for everyone else. I later found out that Matt had actually planned to propose on our first night there, but we were really delayed arriving so that plan had to be abandoned. Although he loved the idea of proposing on the boat, he wasn’t sure if it would work out.

So with plan A not having happened, he decided to carry the ring around and just wait for a perfect moment! I found this so funny as he had been walking around NYC for three days with the ring in his pocket and I didn’t have a clue. Luckily the boat idea worked and it did turn out perfectly! My sister and Dad however, were both back home on pins for days, not knowing when it was going to happen and eagerly waiting for that facetime!

Matt had told Chloe that he wanted to propose a few months earlier and asked her for some help choosing a ring. I had seen Chupi on Instagram a while ago and my sister knew I loved their rings so she guided Matt in the right direction.

The grey diamonds are beautiful and I think the twig band is so unique. I absolutely love it. I also love the Irish connection and the meaning behind the twig band.

Matt secretly booked a day off work (he even got up, got dressed and pretended to go to work!) to do some ring-research. He got some help from the lovely Chupi staff who were just wonderful. They helped Matt over the phone and sent lots of photos and videos of different rings. He ended up choosing the ‘You, Me & Magic’ white gold twig band ring.

Although I had loved Chupi a while, I didn’t know which ring I would have chosen and I think Matt, with a little help from Chloe, did such a great job. The grey diamonds are beautiful and I think the twig band is so unique. I absolutely love it. I also love the Irish connection and the meaning behind the twig band. My Dad is Irish, so I love that the ring is a nod to my heritage.

We have plans to get married next April in a reclaimed Mill in Derbyshire. It’s a beautiful, unusual building which reminded us of an NYC loft. Our plans have been put on hold at the moment as we are both working for the NHS, so things have been slightly hectic recently. We can’t wait to celebrate with our family, friends and of course, Charlie, next year!

Read more of The Chupi Engagement Series here. Looking to take a closer look at our Engagement Ring Collection? Book a consultation with our incredible team of experts in our Dublin Studio from anywhere in the world. Our jewellery consultants are available via video to take you through our beautiful collections; whether it’s an heirloom ring, engagement ring, wedding band, or a piece to mark a special moment.