Shane and Jackie's first date was a weekend camping trip in British Columbia. The two had met online – and clicked right away – but they lived about three hours apart: Jackie in Kelowna, and Shane in Chilliwack. They had talked constantly over Skype for six months, forging a strong connection, before finally meeting in person.
"She came down for the whole weekend, and we've been inseparable ever since."
- Shane.
Jackie and Shane eventually moved in together in Chilliwack, then relocated to Jackie's hometown. Together they have two children – Dylan, 5, and Charlotte, 1 – in addition to Shane's twin 11-year-old daughters from a previous relationship.
"Everything was working out so well and we were so happy together. I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life. So I proposed to her with an engagement ring that my mom gave me. It was a set with an engagement ring and a wedding ring."
- Shane
Shane knew from the beginning that he wanted to upgrade Jackie's bridal rings before they got married, but since the two set a wedding date far in the future – spring 2017 – he had plenty of time to find the perfect set. Then a family illness caused them to change their plans. Jackie's mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Jackie and Shane decided to get married this summer instead.
"I was actually planning on spending a lot more money, $5,000 to $6,000, on a wedding set because I had the time," said Shane. "But then the wedding got pushed forward, and I needed something really beautiful that was going to be affordable within about a week's pay."
Shane visited multiple jewelry stores but was disappointed with the prices and the lack of unique options. He started browsing through jewelry stores online, when he came across My Trio Rings.
"I didn't think I could really get something I wanted shopping online," he said. "I've been stung so many times buying stuff online. You expect it to be one thing, and it turns out to be something totally different. And wedding rings are one of those things you kinda gotta get right."
But after dismissing a few other online jewelers, Shane was pleasantly surprised by My Trio Rings' inventory and presentation.
"I went through their selection, and every ring they had was one I was looking for," said Shane. "They were really cool and different and nice. I spent two days on the website, going through and finding the wedding set that I wanted. The online experience with some of these other stores was not really the greatest. They don't take the time to explain it so well."
I found with My Trio Rings, you click on a ring and normally there's a video of someone actually wearing the ring; you can get a size comparison and what it looks like and how it reacts to the light. So that made me feel better."
- Shane
With about two weeks until the wedding, Shane opted to set up a layaway plan and pay for the rings in two installments. He wanted to pay through PayPal, which isn't a normal billing option on the site, so he called My Trio Rings customer service and spoke with CEO Vipul Lakhi. After Shane explained his situation, Vipul helped him manually set up the payment plan he wanted and got everything processed.
"I thought it was so cool he did that for me," said Shane. "I got it all paid off, but by the time I'd made the second payment, we found out Mom wasn't going to make it." Jackie's mother's health had started to deteriorate rapidly, and the couple moved the wedding date to a few days in the future.
Shane got in touch with Vipul again to see if rush delivery for the rings was possible. "I said, ‘I'm pretty sure it's going to be impossible to get them here on time, but if there's any possibility of sending them out next day, I'll pay whatever shipping you want," said Shane. "And Vipul sent me back an email saying, ‘We've got your sizes; the guys are working on them. We'll ship them out overnight with FedEx, and don't worry about the expedited shipping.' His team even sent a handwritten card, saying we hope your mom gets better and thank you for shopping with us."
Shane said he knew he had made the right decision as soon as he opened the box and saw the rings for the first time. "My fiancée was out shopping at the time, so she didn't see them right away, but I was so excited," he said. "I upgraded her engagement ring with the one that came with the set, and she was just so happy with that. I was sitting here almost every night before we got married, and I'd take out the box and put the ring on my finger to check it out. It was the best experience ever. The rings looked exactly like they did online. I couldn't be happier."
Jackie's mom sadly passed away a few days before the wedding. Shane and Jackie held a small, intimate wedding ceremony in their living room with just a few close friends and family members, while the rest of their loved ones came to town for a larger ceremony and reception the following weekend.
"After we exchanged rings, we both hugged each other for about 10 minutes," said Shane. "We were very happy that we had gotten married, but we were also sad Mom couldn't be there. We just held each other and cried a little bit."
Shane expressed gratitude for My Trio Rings' personalized customer service. "They've helped me out right from the beginning," he said. "They've got to be one of the best I've dealt with online. I've never had a company be so responsive with questions or changes to the standard way of doing business. It would have been so easy for Vipul to say, ‘No, sorry, everything on layaway has to be on a credit card,' and then go on with his day. But instead, he took the time to listen to me and do this manually for me so I could get the rings that I wanted. I will be ordering from these guys in the future. Anybody I know who's getting married, I'm going to send them to My Trio Rings."