“Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany’s. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that’d make me feel like Tiffany’s, then – then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name!”

– Holly Golightly

On June 6, 2015, Geoffrey and I will be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary. I’m not sure if there’s a conventional way of getting engaged or married, but if there is such a thing, then we probably went against it. Yet, it was completely fitting for us as a couple, and for that, I cherish it.

I grew up, as many girls do, an Audrey Hepburn fan. You may have clued into that fact, given that our two dogs are named Holly Golightly and Truman Capote. In my first year of university, I would watch Audrey’s films over and over again. Breakfast at Tiffany’s became my favourite. I idolized Holly Golightly, and thought to myself, ‘if she can struggle and still make it in New York, I can do the same in Toronto’. That one film helped me get through many nights of homesickness.

After graduating university, I moved to Gossau, Switzerland. One of the reasons why I chose that country was because of the fact that Audrey herself lived and died there. After living there for a few weeks, my new friends and I took a day trip to see her house, her grave, and the museum that her son had built in her memory. Being at her grave in Tolochenaz, CH was so impacting. This was the first time in my life that I was able to visit the resting place of someone that I had greatly admired. That entire day subsequently became my favourite experience in Switzerland.

Why am I discussing Audrey Hepburn when this post is supposed to be about my wedding anniversary? I’m getting there.

“You could always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels.”

I won’t go into great detail regarding our engagement and elopement, but I will say that it happened quickly. In my mind, the swiftness of it all was so romantic, and almost felt like a we were living out our own movie. I always knew that when I got married, it would be with a ring from Tiffany’s, just as Holly would have done. Yet, that didn’t happen.

Five years ago, we did the best with what little time and money we could afford. When I discovered that I wasn’t going to be getting a ring from Tiffany’s, I told my then soon-to-be husband that it was alright, but it was also something that I wanted for our fifth wedding anniversary. Fast-forward to today, and baby, it is finally time for my dreams to come true.

“I’ll tell you one thing, Fred, darling … I’d marry you for your money in a minute. Would you marry me for my money?”

“In a minute.”

I think that perhaps Geoffrey forgot about our agreement, because when I told him that I wanted to make a stop at Tiffany & Co. in Denver, Colorado, he seemed surprised. We had went to that very store for our first wedding anniversary to buy one other anniversary gifts. It only seemed fitting that on our most recent trip to the United States, that we stop there once again. We drove to Cherry Creek Shopping Center, and I ran in while he waited in the vehicle with the dogs. I told him that I would hurry, and would be back in twenty minutes. Five years later, in true Emory and Geoffrey fashion, we’re still rushing. This is the story of how I picked out my ring.

“You musn’t give your heart to a wild thing. The more you do, the stronger they get, until they’re strong enough to run into the woods or fly into a tree. And then to a higher tree and then to the sky.”

I walked into Tiffany’s with butterflies in my stomach. Immediately, the first ring in a glass case by the door stood out. However, it wasn’t the one that I had come to try on. One clerk spotted me, and asked if he could be of assistance. I had told him that I was there to pick out a new wedding ring. He looked a little taken aback, but proceeded to ask me if I had anything in mind. I told him about one ring that I had seen online. He knew the precise one I was talking about, and brought me over to the case. It was the Elsa Peretti Wedding Band Ring:

After trying it on, I was in love with the shape, but disappointed in how small the sole diamond actually was. Seeing the look of disappointment on my face, the clerk asked me what I was looking for. I told him something very simple, that could embody both an engagement and wedding ring. My hopes are to only wear one, as I dislike wearing jewelry and wanted a fresh start with a new ring. I also told him my price point. We went through the next few cases in the store, and eventually, my eyes had found another. It was the Tiffany Harmony Ring:

He pulled the ring out, and I tried it on. I liked it very much, but wasn’t yet certain that it would be the one. We spent the next ten minutes circling the store twice, and looking at every ring in Tiffany’s. However, I didn’t see another one that I felt compelled to try on. Suddenly, I asked him about the yellow diamond ring at the front of the store. He said, “well, it’s a little out of your price range, but let’s go take a look.” We went to the case, and it was even more beautiful than what I first imagined. I thought, this is the ring. As he was taking it out, I asked him how much it actually was. He replied, “$10,000.” I told him thank you, and to put it back. Given that it was $7,000 above our limit, I didn’t want to tempt myself and try it on. Would you like to see it? It was this ring, the Tiffany Bezet Yellow Diamond Ring:

“You know what’s wrong with you, Miss Whoever-You-Are? You’re chicken, you’ve got no guts. You’re afraid to stick out your chin and say, “Okay, life’s a fact, people do fall in love, people do belong to each other, because that’s the only chance anybody’s got for real happiness.” You call yourself a free spirit, a wild thing, and you’re terrified somebody’s going to stick you in a cage. Well, baby, you’re already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it’s not bounded in the west by Tulip, Texas, or in the east by Somaliland. It’s wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself.”

Feeling a little disenchanted and out of time, I decided on that moment to go with the Tiffany Harmony Ring. I asked the nice clerk to write down the information, and that my husband would order it in Canada. When I got back to the vehicle, I told Geoffrey that I had picked out a ring, but I wasn’t crazy about it. I said that the ring that I fell in love with was too pricey, but I did find a substitute. Nearly one month later, I changed my mind.

After coming back to Canada and not being able to get the yellow diamond ring out of my mind, I began to wonder if I could find a different ring with yellow diamonds that I would love just as much. It took me a little while to figure it out, but when I finally did, the long-awaited result was this:

This is my ring. The Elsa Peretti Wedding Band in Tiffany Yellow Diamonds. It has the shape of the first ring that I tried on, with the beauty of the yellow diamonds that I so loved. I find it to be so gorgeous. Although I am a little apprehensive about not having tried on this very ring, I also feel as if this is a very befitting conclusion. To me, this ring is perfect.

“Holly, I’m in love with you.”

“So what?”

“So what? So plenty! I love you. You belong to me.”

“No. People don’t belong to people.”

“Of course they do.”

“I’m not going to let anyone put me in a cage.”

“I don’t want to put you in a cage. I want to love you.”

“It’s the same thing.”

“No it’s not.”

After five years, I will finally be able to bring our own love story to its rightful place. The only way to do that, is with a ring from Tiffany’s.

<3

Emory

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