Category: Love Stories
U.S. Air Force Captain Devin White flies KC 10 Extender planes. They’re the big tanker aircrafts that the military uses for air-to-air refueling. He met another “KC” in 2016 —Kristen Cautilli. The writing was on the wall (or in this case the sky!).
Since Devin was deployed in the Middle East at the time, the two didn’t get to meet until Christmas Eve, 2016. And, exactly one year later, on Christmas Eve, 2017, he proposed.
Kristen, from Holland, PA, is currently a Physician Assistant at Penn Medicine’s Princeton Health. Devin, originally from Houston, Texas, is based out of South Jersey’s McGuire Air Force Base.
The Ring
After some suggestions from Kristen, who had visited David Craig Jewelers with her mom while Devin was deployed on another mission, Devin purchased a round 1.21 carat Forevermark diamond for the proposal.
“I’ve gotten so many compliments,” says Kristen. “It’s so beautiful!”
The diamond is set in a 14k white gold, four-prong solitaire mounting. Kristen was thrilled with the choice and loves that her stone is responsibly sourced and also registered with a serial number. (Note: Every Forevermark diamond is hand-picked to be part of the collection. In fact, less than one percent of the world’s diamonds are eligible to be called “Forevermark.”) “Lots of people might shop at Jeweler’s Row or the big chains, but I’m more about quality than quantity,” explains Kristen, who had also visited a few other stores with Devin and thought some of the rings they were seeing seemed overpriced.
“I’m more of a boutique shopper—I want to be able to have full confidence and trust in someone, and I immediately felt that way about the staff at David Craig Jewelers and David, who also offered advice,” says Kristen. “Also, it’s great because any sizing issues can be easily fixed.”
The future Captain and Mrs. White are planning a February 2019 wedding in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
As a National Guard recruiter for Bucks County, Nick Brinckman is used to enlisting recruits with heartfelt persuasion and, of course, simple facts. But it obviously didn’t take any persuading at all to convince Lauren Steele to agree to marry him. And the simple fact was that he loved Lauren and knew she felt the same about him.
Nick, a self-titled “military brat” who attended Council Rock High School with Lauren, moved to Florida junior year and graduated from Mariner High School in Cape Coral, Florida before joining the army. Lauren graduated from Council Rock and went off to college. Fifteen years went by.
Fast forward to 2016. Two divorces and five children later (three for him, two for her) the two met up again in Bucks County thanks to mutual friends. This was something special. Nick knew he wanted to marry Lauren, but also recognized that blending two established families could be challenging. He sought approval individually from all five children. “They all thought that asking Lauren to marry me was a great idea,” Nick recalls. Nick also spoke to Lauren’s mother, sister and even visited Lauren’s deceased father’s gravesite to express his intentions.
The Ring
Nick took Lauren into David Craig Jewelers to have her finger sized for what she assumed might be a holiday gift.
“I wanted a local jeweler, someone who had a great reputation and loads of experience,” said Nick. “David was really friendly, as were his staff.”
Nick returned to the store weeks later and, with David’s help, picked out a beautiful one-carat round diamond. The stone would sit in a cushioned cut bezel setting in 14K white gold, all designed by David.
“David is just an extremely nice guy and was willing to answer any of my questions and offer advice without being forceful,” said Nick.
Nick thought Christmas vacation holiday 2017 would be a great time to propose when he, Lauren and their children would be together at Camelback mountain. On December 29th, under the stars, with the warmth of a fire to help illuminate the sparkle in Lauren’s eyes (and the beautiful diamond he pulled from a gift box!), Nick asked Lauren to be his wife. Lauren, a NICU nurse at Abington, enthusiastically said yes, or to be exact, “Yes, a thousand times yes!”
A wedding date has not been set. We send our best wishes to this great couple and their children.
Cupid shot his arrow in 2008 and the recipient sweethearts were Lisa Cassese, formerly of Bellmore, NY, and Chris Groser, from Yardley, PA. The two were sophomores at Syracuse University living on the same dorm floor when they first started dating.
Fast forward to May 2015 and Chris was eager to propose. Chris shopped around at a few different places. Confused and a bit disappointed in the selections he saw, he turned to his closest shopping expert for advice – his mom, Renee. She suggested Chris head to David Craig Jewelers, where Chris’s brother-in- law, Joe, had purchased his wife Melanie’s ring a few years back.
“I couldn’t have been more satisfied,” says Chris. “David and his staff are helpful and personable, plus I really liked the kind of original styles David carries. I felt very comfortable making this major life purchase through David Craig Jewelers.”
Lisa immediately said “yes,” deciding that the ring, while lovely, might match her personality even better with a few subtle setting changes. Says Lisa: “David was very accommodating in helping us customize the ring. We had a few rounds of revisions since I wasn’t 100% sure what I was looking for. Ultimately, I ended up getting exactly what I wanted.”
The couple were married May 6, 2017 and now reside in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Both Lisa and Chris work in the field of marketing—Lisa as a strategist for Macy’s and Chris as creative director for a digital ad agency.
Lisa wears her David Craig Jewelers ring with love and pride – it’s a “classic and delicate” Forevermark® solitaire on a thin band shank set with diamonds. The engagement ring rests comfortably against a matching wedding band, also lined with diamonds. Like many of David’s creations, the Cassese-Groser ring is registered in MOND, The Museum of Named Diamonds.
“I couldn’t be happier,” sums up Lisa. And we couldn’t be happier for the two of them and wish them much happiness!
David Craig Jewelers is excited to congratulate our clients Neil and Ruthie on their engagement. Neil popped the big question on September 20, 2015 at the Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys game. The Birds may have lost, but Neil scored big when Ruthie said “Yes.” Continue reading Love Story: Neil and Ruthie’s Game-day Engagement
She said YES! We are delighted to share in Ben and Nicki’s recent engagement. Continue reading Love Story: Ben and Nicki’s Engagement
We’d like to congratulate our clients and friends, Rob & Nicole, on their recent engagement. Rob popped the big question to Nicole with a stunning Forevermark diamond in a Center of My Universe mounting made by Ritani. Continue reading Love Story: Rob and Nicole’s Engagement
Congratulations, Jerry & Rachel!
We’d like to congratulate our clients and friends, Jerry & Rachel, on their recent engagement. Jerry proposed to his beautiful fiancée Rachel while they were away in Maine. Check out their engagement photos and Rachel’s gorgeous ring below!
Finally got engaged, thank u @davidcraigjewel for making it so easy for my fiancé as well! My ring is perfect! pic.twitter.com/6FTzKruqWx
— Michelle (@mrjfriends) September 24, 2013
I’ve been working with David ever since my son Joseph was in the third grade. Joseph told David that I could really make those diamonds sparkle with my camera, and he hired me right then and there. We love David’s products so much that my son just went to him to purchase his wedding bands! Continue reading Dawn Deppi and David
“David, Thank you for helping my fiance choose the perfect engagement ring! I couldn’t be more impressed by the beauty of my diamond. It is perfect!”
– Kathryn M. Continue reading Love Story: Kathryn & Daniel’s Engagement
“Thank you for your amazing work. My grandmother’s ring has been restored back to its original beauty! Thank you again!”
– Shari R.