Testimonials

To Dipti, Mark and the Entire Schneider Team,

Shainna and I first met in early 2009 at the great Southern Cultural Mecca known as ‘The Florabama’, a famous Beachside Roadhouse located on the border of Florida and Alabama overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. We both journeyed there initially to witness the annual “Mullet Toss,”  an event where Contestants throw freshly caught Mullets (a type of fish) across the state line for prizes and drinks. This is needless to say, hilarious to watch, but instead of watching bar patrons exhibit their fish throwing skills, Shainna and I spied each other cruising around and soon found much more interesting things to talk about than flying fish. Right from the get-go we were both fascinated with each other, from our mutual sense of humor to our debatable dance skills, whatever we did just seemed to bring us closer together. After a whirlwind romance and summer of love, we sadly went our separate ways in the fall, but always maintained a sweet spot for one another as the years went by.

Fast forward to 2012, where I find myself stationed overseas in Japan and Shainna finds herself living in New Orleans. Following what was a rough winter for both of us, a periodic checking in with each other soon grew into a consistent, almost daily picking of each others’ brains. Being on the literal other side of the planet didn’t slow us down, and soon enough I found myself asking her to be my date to a Formal Ball the Navy throws every year out here in the Far East. Lo and Behold, a few short weeks later found me nervously waiting at the arrivals gate with flowers in hand at Narita Airport in Tokyo. To my delight, the little flame that had never really gone out from all those years earlier once again became a raging fire as she walked out to see me, her impish smile making me feel all of four years old once again. The next few weeks found us traveling all over Japan, down to Hiroshima, ancient Kyoto, and back to Tokyo. It became apparent very quickly to both of us that we not only still loved each other, but always loved each other and it was clearly a dumb idea to remain apart any longer. Such was the intensity of our renewed love that I proposed without a ring, a plan, or any idea where we should be married, all I knew is that we needed to spend the rest of our lives together.

Which of course, leads us to the problem of finding a ring! Since we were now blissfully engaged yet without a ring, Shainna and I soon started discussing what kind of rings she liked, soon realizing that we had an opportunity to design a custom ring exactly how she wanted. I originally set about to accomplish this task during the course of my deployment visiting several well known Jewelers throughout Asia, yet kept being told time and time again that the design Shainna wanted was “impossible” with one Jeweler even telling my bride that “it’s not about what you want”. Clearly baffled at this response, we continued our search until one day Shainna stumbled upon Mark Schneider’s website, with his rave reviews and fabulous designs. Mark and our account manager Dipti, worked with us every step of the way, providing us constant feedback and pictures throughout the design process. It truly felt like a collaborative effort and resulted in a set of wedding and engagement rings that truly brighten our hearts every time we look at them on our hands. Mark Schneider Designs has truly outdone themselves and earned a new set of life long customers! We are eternally grateful for helping to making our vision a reality!