From Stockholm and Phoenix to a life together in Los Angeles. An airport pickup meet-and-greet, an unofficial first date at IKEA, and a diamond with the perfect amount of warmth.

Before they had met IRL, Deven had already been to apartment viewings for Alyssa. She remembers being nervous. He remembers her taking the aux and putting on Taylor Swift. Both remember how quickly a person they had known through a phone began to feel like someone who belonged in their everyday life.

Kennedy here. I first got to know Alyssa personally, then got to keep a rather good secret with Deven: we were creating her engagement ring. She knew what she loved: yellow gold, curves, and a natural diamond with warmth and personality. Together, we found a particularly special stone with a beautiful vintage feel and developed the gold setting around it. Getting to hear her side of the surprise afterward was its own pleasure.

Here, Alyssa and Deven tell us the rest.

A girl from Sweden meets a boy from Arizona. How did your worlds come together?

Alyssa: I grew up in Stockholm and always knew I wanted to experience living somewhere else. I visited LA with my dad when I was 15 and fell in love with the city. I moved here for school, not knowing I’d end up meeting my future husband. We connected on a dating app while I was back in Sweden and talked for a month or two before meeting in person when I came back. It’s kind of crazy to think how differently things could’ve turned out if I hadn’t moved across the world.

Your first meeting involved flowers, LAX, and IKEA. We need both versions.

Alyssa: The first time we met was actually at the airport. We'd been texting and FaceTiming for a month or two while I was back in Sweden, so we already knew each other pretty well before meeting in person. He picked me up from the airport with flowers. I was definitely nervous around him at first but I loved how sweet he was and how obvious he made it that he liked me. He had actually been going to apartment viewings for me while I was still in Sweden, before we'd even met in person. And I think the next day we went to IKEA to get furniture for my new apartment, and he helped me put everything together. We hadn't even kissed yet. Looking back, I think it's really sweet how much effort he put in from the very beginning, and I definitely noticed that about him.

Deven: The first time Alyssa and I met was not in the typical setting. It was a nerve-racking experience for me personally. I had gotten to know her through the phone for months, but it was finally time to meet the real person. Immediately I was taken aback by her obvious beauty, but what shocked me most was her natural outgoing energy and confidence. While I was shaking in my boots about meeting this girl for the first time, she seemed so comfortable and relaxed. She took the aux, threw on Taylor Swift, made me pick up her friend and drive them to IKEA. It all played out so casually, like we had known each other for years, like it was always supposed to be that way.

And the first “I love you”?

Alyssa: Deven had spent the night at my apartment and was leaving super early to drive back to Phoenix. He was running out the door, stressed and in a rush, and just casually said, “bye, love you!” as he was walking down the hallway. I was literally like, “what??” and then he just left, lol.

What have you introduced each other to from your respective worlds?

Alyssa: I’ve introduced Deven to a lot of Swedish and Greek things, especially food and traditions. I love getting to share little pieces of home with him, and it's really sweet seeing someone who grew up on the other side of the world become part of those traditions, and he really loves being a part of them. One of my favorite things about being from different countries is that we get to create our own little mix of both worlds. He’s been on Duolingo for a long time. He even has his own Swedish/English sayings that he made up, like “what the fan." (Fan = a Swedish swear word) 

Deven: I do my best to introduce Alyssa to the typical American culture. She still hasn’t had Denny’s, but we’ll get to it. She’s introduced me to so many different cuisines and traditions that I would never have even thought about if it weren’t for meeting her. American culture is cool, but when you’re on your twelth beer of the day at 10pm during midsummer, and the sun still hasn’t set, you can’t really compare that experience to anything else. Or when you’re overlooking the Mediterranean Sea while eating fresh fish, Corfu looming in the distance, you tend to forget about rodeos and tailgates. Now, four years in, Stockholm has become another home for me because of Alyssa. It is without a doubt a place I could move to indefinitely if Alyssa ever decided she wanted to move back home. In all honesty, I’m slowly nudging her in that direction anyway.

Deven, take us back to the beginning of designing Alyssa’s ring. What did you know she wanted and what were you figuring out in secret?

Deven: Luckily for me, Alyssa knew what kind of ring she wanted and had an entire mood board. I knew she wanted 14k gold with either an oval or marquise diamond. What Kennedy and I figured out together was how the band would wrap and encase the diamond. Kennedy also found the perfect diamond that seems just in between an oval and a marquise. It turned out so unique and beautiful that I was genuinely taken aback when I first saw it, and obviously so was Alyssa.

Alyssa, what had you imagined yourself wearing?

Alyssa: I knew I didn’t want the most perfect white diamond. I wanted something with a little more personality and warmth, which I think reflects me. I imagined a colored diamond, yellow, champagne, something like that, and definitely yellow gold. I was drawn to curves and diamonds angled differently. When I saw the ring, it was something I’d never seen before, which I loved.

Take us to the proposal.

Deven: I thought I knew what she was hoping for, but after getting some more confirmation from her friend it turned out I was completely off. Originally I swore that she wanted to be proposed to on the beach. Turns out she hated the beach idea. So I scrapped the plan and started from scratch. I found a beautiful Airbnb overlooking the hills of the Santa Monica mountain range in Malibu and had a buddy taking photos arrive in advance with dinner to set it up. The whole thing went so fast but it was by far the most beautiful experience. It was the day Alyssa agreed to marry me, which will forever make it one of the most important days of my life. 

Alyssa: He told me the day before that we were going to Malibu for a dinner with his job. He woke me up with a matcha in bed. Later, he was really sweating and invested in what I was going to wear, which was unusual, so I kind of suspected something. We walked up to the most beautiful view with a picnic set up, and he had the cutest little speech and proposed. I couldn’t see the ring at first because I was crying, but when I saw it, I screamed because it was so good.

And now that you’ve lived with the ring?

Alyssa: I love everything about it, but especially the shape, the way it sparkles, and the warmth of the diamond. I still find myself staring at it all the time. It just feels really special knowing it was created specifically for me.

What has being together taught you about love?

Alyssa: We’re each other’s home. No matter what’s going on in life, I know he looks forward to coming home to me, and I feel the same way about him.

I think we've also taught each other so much about love. We’ve had to learn how to communicate, when to say sorry, and that when we argue, it’s us against the problem, not against each other. One of the best feelings is just knowing how much someone loves you. I’ve never had to question that with him, and I hope he never has to question it with me either. 

Deven: What I've learned from Alyssa and our relationship is the true meaning of unconditional love. There’s conditions to every other aspect of life. But in this, there can’t be. She’s helped make me into the man I am today, and for that I will always be thankful. Love is something that is built over time. It’s worked on and maintained through all life’s twists and turns. Alyssa has been there with me through my darkest days and brightest hours. She’s truly shown me how to love something unconditionally.

Imagine this ring thirty years from now. What do you hope it’s been there for?

Alyssa: A whole lifetime of memories. Traveling the world, building a home and family, celebrating milestones, and all the little ordinary moments in between. I love the thought of being able to look down at the same ring thirty years from now and think about everything we've experienced together. And maybe one day passing it down to someone in our family, with all those stories attached to it. Crying rn brb.

Lastly, diamonds aside, what makes you feel rich?

Alyssa: Being surrounded by people I love, having the freedom to travel and experience the world, and being able to share those experiences with the people closest to me. I think real wealth is having a life full of love, good memories, and people you can count on.

Deven: My love for my woman, my friends, and a good plate of food.