KJ Couples: Carolyn and Juan

We love your love! That is why we have decided to reach out to a few of our amazing Kasia Family members, new and returning, to tell their stories. Love is powerful, beautiful, diverse and worthy of honoring through your unique story. By sharing these openly with you, we intend to spread joy in a time when we need it the most. We understand the privilege it is to be a part of your story, and we hope the sincerity of these couples will reflect the very special relationships we aim to have with everyone who walks through our doors (whether in-person or virtually).

Next up, we have Carolyn & Juan. Two carefree spirits whose love story is one of patience and fate. (Grab your tissues... this is a good one!)

When did you know that your partner was THE ONE?

This is a really hard question for us, because we both agree that there wasn’t one single moment when we decided we were the one for each other. It was a slow burn that happened over multiple years, through gained trust, loving encounters, and intentional conversations. Slowly but surely, we both knew that the other person was someone who was always there, always cared, and always pushed the other to be the best version of themselves.

What is one thing you love about your significant other?

Carolyn’s  favorite thing about my Juan is how patiently loving he is. I have a big personality and big emotions, and not only does he love that side of me and encourage me to show and feel every part of it, but he helps me through it as well. He doesn’t only love me through the ups and the downs, but he loves me because of who I am in the ups and the downs, and I am forever thankful for that.

Juan’s favorite thing about Carolyn is how she can be friends with everyone. Carolyn has a very big heart, and is extremely intentional about being there for everyone she can. When a friend needs something, she’s one of the people who’s able to know before they have to ask, and will go out of her way to be there for them. She’s such a people person and it makes me fall in love with her even more.

What is an activity you love to do together?

Lately, we’ve loved reading together! We both snuggle up with our own books, and spend hours cuddling while experiencing the magic of our own worlds. Whenever we get to a particularly good part in our book, we’ll excitedly tell eachother about it, and share that part with each other. It’s simple, but it’s so fun, and something we both look forward to.

Besides that, we’re both pretty big foodies and love to cook together, or go find trendy restaurants to get good food and drinks together. Nothing beats a good meal, good drinks, and good conversation. <3

How did you two meet? (Give us as many details as you’d like!)

Juan and Carolyn met while working at a video game company called Blizzard. Carolyn would often go into Juan's office to chit-chat. One day she asked Juan if he was going to BlizzCon (the company's yearly gaming convention) that year, and when Juan replied that he might not, she adamantly insisted that he go with her brother, Compton, and their friends. 

That's when the sparks began to fly... between Juan and Compton. While their bromance shined brightly, all Carolyn could think of was how happy she was that Compton was making a new friend. 

Unbeknownst to her, everyone else in the group could tell that Juan was crushing on her during the entire event.

At this point, Juan and Carolyn had been texting constantly since BlizzCon (she was starting to realize she also had a crush on Juan). One day during work, Carolyn realized that one of her favorite bands was having a concert that night in LA. The only problem was that she had no one to go with (yet). She did what any scheming girl with a crush would do: she invited Juan.

One abrupt office visit later, Juan was driving Carolyn through rush hour downtown LA traffic to see a small band he had never heard of. After the concert ended, they decided to get dinner at a diner across the street. After getting seated and ordering food, Juan (being oblivious) didn't realize that the waitress was hitting on him. Meanwhile, Carolyn finally realized, "Oh no, I really like this guy and I don't like that he's being hit on!" So she went to the bathroom and texted her best friend, Haley, that she thinks she was on a date. When asked how the date was going she replied, "It's the best date I've ever been on!!!"

P.S. Juan and the waitress did not live happily ever after - but Carolyn and Juan did.

How did he/she propose?

With plans to visit their friend Sam and his family in Italy, Juan and Carolyn added stops in Greece and Switzerland to their itinerary. Carolyn knew Juan was planning on proposing during the trip, but Juan had been scheming for months so she wouldn't know when and where it would be.

Their trip started in Greece and on the second day, Juan told Carolyn that they were going to dinner on the neighboring island, Paros. They put on their Sunday Best (it actually was a Sunday) and took a ferry that afternoon. When they arrived, Juan told Carolyn that he wanted to scope out a beautiful place to catch the sunset before dinner. He led her to a location overlooking the water, and while she was excitedly taking in the views, he was frantically trying to get the ring out of his pocket.

The next thing she knew, Carolyn turned around to see Juan down on one knee holding the most stunning diamond ring she had ever seen, asking her to be his wife. Now, here's the fun bit. Carolyn had previously asked Juan to write a sentimental speech when proposing. Right after Juan started the speech, Carolyn became a blubbering mess, asked him if he was sure several times, and interrupted his speech with a kiss. He never did get to ask, "Will you marry me?"

After that, Juan introduced Carolyn to the photographer he hired, who captured the moment and surprised her with a photo shoot tour of the island for their engagement photos. The rest of the night was spent with amazing Greek food and wine, celebrating the best day of their lives - so far!

How does Kasia Jewelry fit into your story?

This is the fun part. Carolyn had grown up seeing her mom’s beautiful wedding band - a simple round diamond solitaire, with symmetrical stacks on either side. Carolyn knew she wanted something similar, and spent months and months searching, hand drawing designs, and trying to find the perfect stack to complement her engagement ring.

After giving up and realizing that she’ll probably have to custom design her wedding band stack, her best friend randomly sent her Kiasia’s instagram page. They knew immediately that they had struck gold. After Carolyn stalked the entire website looking at every single option, Juan set up an appointment for them to go look at the rings in person.

We knew that we wanted something like Mika, Ang, Aimee, or Liv, so we went into the shop with a mission to find the perfect combination. Sara was so sweet, fun, and helpful in finding different pairings for us to try! She helped us understand how the different bands played off each other from a design standpoint, and made narrowing down our decision so much easier. We ended up going between Rachel+Yana or Mika+Ulla, but ultimately went with the Mika+Ulla pairing. I was absolutely in love, relieved, and could not wait to wear them!!! Now every time I see my wedding stack, I think about how I found a perfect modern stack that fits my fun 20something style now, but I can also see it when I’m old and wrinkly with the love of my life. Kasia brought my dream ring to life and I’m forever thankful!!!

Photography by Rowan Noelle