Meet the latest couple in the Chupi Engagement Series: Laura & Bryan. Having travelled all over the world in the last couple of years, Laura and Bryan looked at one of the only positives of the pandemic and decided to explore more of Ireland last summer. Laura tells us about their engagement on a cliff edge in Donegal, complete with cheering sunbathers from below!

Bryan and I met in college in the University of Limerick in 2011. We hit it off instantly and have never looked back since! Over the years we have had so many wonderful times together. We love to travel and have been fortunate enough to have gone on some amazing trips over the years, including travelling four months around Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.

We also lived in Edinburgh for four great years. We made so many fond memories and life-long friends while there, but we knew we wanted to settle back in Ireland, as we are both very close to our families.

While travel is something we love to do, we had been conscious that we hadn’t explored enough of our own beautiful country. One of the only positives of a pandemic! In August 2020, we decided to have a ‘stay-cation’ in Donegal. We planned a five day itinerary along the Wild Atlantic Way route. I did notice that Bryan was making more effort to plan the trip than usual, but I took little notice, thinking the lockdown had lead to some cabin fever and he was keen to focus on something fun.

I had seen some of Chupi’s jewellery online and had thought the pieces were stunning, so unique, elegant and timeless. Little did I know, Bryan was taking heed!

It was glorious sunshine for the whole trip. Who says it rains in Donegal?! On the second day, we planned a trip to Silver Stand beach in Malin Beg. Bryan suggested we walk along the cliff edge to look down at the beach and ocean below.

I turned around for him to take a photo of the stunning view and when I did, he was down on one knee. I was in such shock, I could have fallen off the cliff!! I laughed and repeatedly screamed “are you joking?!”, but when he remained on his knee and I saw the pink box, I knew it was for real.

We received cheers from sun bathers and swimmers down below. It was just perfect. Bryan then told me he had always envisaged proposing somewhere in Ireland, so we could visit time and time again and have a close connection to the area.

We rang our families and close friends that evening to share the good news. They were all thrilled. Some of my family were holidaying in Donegal at the time, so we got to celebrate that night with them. It was so special. Bryan had then arranged for us to stay in Lough Eske Castle the following night. It was a magical few days.

I had seen some of Chupi’s jewellery online and had thought the pieces were stunning, so unique, elegant and timeless. Little did I know, Bryan was taking heed! Bryan picked out the ‘We are Twice as Strong Together’ ring for the proposal; a gorgeous gold infinity ring. He wanted us to choose the engagement ring together, as he knew I had previously been quite apathetic about diamonds. I had never seen myself wearing a classic diamond ring.

When we looked at Chupi’s engagement rings and read about the concept behind the future heirlooms, it just felt so right and the fact Chupi is an Irish brand sealed the deal. We went up to the flagship store in Dublin in September and I just melted when I saw the grey diamond ‘You, Me & Magic’ ring on my finger. We didn’t need to look anywhere else. We both instantly knew it was the one. 

The customer service I received with Chupi throughout was exceptional from the appointment on the day to the online experience while awaiting the delivery of the ring. They kept me updated at each stage of the process and reassured me that the wait would be worth it... And boy was it worth it! A massive thank you to all at Chupi for making our engagement so so special. We are still very much in our engagement bubble, but looking forward to wedding planning in the new year.

If a Chupi engagement ring or Chupi promise piece was a part of your engagement, we’d love to hear from you and feature you on The Chupi Blog. You can find out more details on this exciting series here.