Before she got engaged, Kalani Hilliker started shopping for wedding rings with a specific vision in mind.
After finding inspiration on social networks, the Dance moms alum, 23, was going to get an elongated diamond sprinkler. But when she went to her first appointment and tried on different styles, her plans “went completely upside down,” she tells PEOPLE.
During three meetings at Brilliant Earth with her fiance Nathan Goldman, Hilliker went back and forth between wanting an oblong stone and, she soon discovered, an oval-shaped diamond.
Finally, Goldman “surprised” Hilliker with a sparkling Brilliant Earth Lumiere Diamond engagement ring with an 18K yellow gold band and a VS2 clarity 6.82 oval cut diamond.
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“The oval looked so much better on her hand, and with something like a ring she’s going to wear forever, I thought it was important to make it perfect. She was still undecided about which band to choose with the oval, but I always liked the gold one because of the contrast with the diamond. I also added a hidden halo on the band because I knew she loved it,” Goldman tells PEOPLE.
The bride-to-be is equally thrilled with her new bling. “I will wear this for the rest of my life!” she gushes.
“It was such a fun memory for us that we’ll always cherish,” she adds of shopping for rings with her partner, something she encourages couples to do.
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Hilliker and Goldman announced their engagement on Instagram on August 17. He popped the question on Lake Como in Italy while the two were on vacation.
“I wanted to make the proposal beautiful and I knew she loved white flowers before that. I knew it would be fantastic on Lake Como, so I planned it. I was a little worried about how I was going to pull it off, but luckily some of Kalana’s friends are wedding planners and they helped me out,” Goldman says of the proposal.
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After arranging all the details, from getting flowers from a local company to decorating the garden at the hotel they were staying at, all he had to do was make sure Hilliker didn’t suspect anything, which proved a little difficult since their room overlooked place of proposal.
“I really didn’t think that would happen on this trip and I didn’t even know he had a ring!” says Hilliker. “He tipped me off 30 minutes before because I wanted to be at the pool for the rest of the day and he was acting weird. I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ Then he said it’s time to go put on your white dress… and I couldn’t believe it was happening! He knew there was a special dress I loved and was saving for the moment (whenever that was) for me to get engaged and he made sure to wear it.”
She continues: “The set-up was more than I could have ever imagined and I couldn’t believe he pulled this off in Italy. He is a true romantic and wanted to make sure it was so special for me and that’s what he did. It was also special because my friends were able to be a part of this special moment.”
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Source: HIS Education