After a long day of exploring Montreal, our tourist guides showed us one of their favorite hideaways. Kamehameha Snack-Bar is Montreal’s first Hawaiian snack bar. It was really interesting in there but I liked it. It had the whole 70’s Miami vibe along with some cutesy soft pinks, Hawaiian décor and mixed textures of wood and greenery. The best part for me, as a graphic designer, was how satisfyingly beautiful their branding and menu were.
It was a great spot to wind down for the day and have great conversations over some snacks and a shared bottle of wine. I just realized that we didn’t really get a good photo while we were inside but here’s an accidental photo I took while trying to add a selfie to my Instagram story (LOL!).
We’ve been trying to decide whether or not we should publish this because I really didn’t want to spoil their futures by jinxing it with a post like this before their actual engagement (which, I’m told is in the works. I’m so excited, I panic-refresh my Instagram feed every morning when I wake up–No pressure, Mehdi). As a sister, who have never seen my sister glow and this happy, you can understand why I’m just so giddy about it. They also don’t want people to anticipate anything because, although they know in their hearts, we never know what the future holds. In my language we usually say “Puhon, paaboton” which means “Soon, we wait.”
With that said, as soon as I found out about Modern Gents, I immediately thought of them. I knew they were looking for rings and I know that they’ve been big on minimalism and trying to be practical in life so I thought I’d bring this conversation about what kind of engagement or wedding ring they would like to buy, etc. So keep reading to see which Modern Gents ring she chooses!
Join us for an afternoon chat with the two people I can truly say, have found each other’s soulmates. Say hi!
Hi! First of all, thank you Pretty Simple Thing for this feature and for having us in your blog! I’ll translate for Mehdi since I mainly speak English and him French.
We are Yvon and Mehdi of travelavecnous.com. It means “travel with us.” We blog about budget travels and road trips which caters to the French and English audience. We are in our early 30s. We are both based in Montreal but Yvon was born and raised in The Philippines and Mehdi in France.
Travel Avec Nous travel blog
1. How did you meet and how long have you been together?
We met at a language exchange community. Yvon was looking for a French tutor while Mehdi for an English tutor to learn the language and integrate better in Quebec. We’ve been together for a year now.
2. What is your ideal date night?
Our ideal date night is going somewhere we’ve never been to like a park we randomly stumbled upon and a dinner date picnic if the weather allows. Most certainly, it would be traveling to somewhere new for the both of us.
3. Are you married? If not, have you discussed marriage?
We’re not married yet but we certainly have discussed marriage and the year we want it to happen. It’s exciting, at the same time we’re just enjoying the moment.
4. Do you prefer traditional (guy asks girl as a surprise) or modern engagement (planned mutual engagement, choosing ring together)?
We prefer the traditional engagement. We both consider ourselves old souls in a modern world and we both grew up in a conservative family.
5. What qualities do you look for in an engagement ring?
Yvon: It’s funny but I don’t want to pressure Mehdi as to what kind of ring I want. However, I’ve always fancied an engagement ring with a sentimental meaning to it. I was hoping the ring will have a bit of history from my future fiancé. Of course, durable and long-lasting.
6.What do you look for in a wedding ring?
Yvon: We both like a simple and plain band as a symbol of infinity. There should be no breaks or stones just how a circle must be. I prefer silver or white gold.
Mehdi: I prefer it to be gold.
Vina (Pretty Simple Thing): It’s really cool to see the intention and the symbolism behind your ideal wedding rings. I was so focused on finding a band that goes well with my engagement ring but after finding the perfect one, I found it to be too much to wear everyday. I ended up buying a simpler wedding band which is the same as what you mentioned.
Modern Gents actually offers really affordable high quality wedding rings that are similar to what you are looking for. Yvon, you might like the Infinity in silver and Mehdi, you’ll surely love the Titan in gold.
7. Yvon, Which Modern Gents ring is your style?
The Lovely in silver. I imagine wearing it with The Duet earrings in rose gold.
The Lovely from Modern Gents Trading Co. on Vimeo.
Vina (Pretty Simple Thing): I love it! Look at the design under the center stone! It’s so pretty, good choice. My favorite is the Bliss in rose gold.
8. What’s your ideal wedding?
We want an intimate wedding and enjoy the ceremony with our family and close friends, stress-free. We would rather splurge on our honeymoon because we want to go backpacking around Europe.
9. What are your top 5 romantic/dream honeymoon destinations?
Wow! This is a tough one because we have so many options. We will most likely be backpacking so we will visit a lot of countries in one go. But, Europe backpacking is definitely first on our list starting with France. Secondly, South East Asia backpacking: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia. Third, East Asia backpacking: Japan, China and South Korea. Fourth, East coast of USA for a road trip. Lastly, West coast of Canada like Banff and Vancouver Island.
Vina (Pretty Simple Thing): You’ve spoken like a true travel blogger! I can understand that it’s tough to choose just 5. I can’t wait to see your travels. I will be staying tuned to your blog. You guys, check them out at www.travelavecnous.com especially if you’re looking for travel guides or what to do in Montreal, QB.
10. Where do you see yourselves 10 years from now?
We both see ourselves managing our own business here in Canada. We also see ourselves visiting France and New Jersey often during the holidays with our future children to visit family.
Vina (Pretty Simple Thing): Wow! That’s so exciting to imagine the next generation visiting each other from different countries. I really love the thought of that. Well, good luck to you both and thanks for indulging me! I look forward to seeing your future unfold and I hope it is better than you ever expected it to be! 🙂
If you are a future bride like Yvon, who is looking for excellent durable wedding/engagement rings, you should head over to Modern Gents to check out their amazingly affordable yet high quality wedding and engagement rings! They are changing and simplifying the way couples are buying rings. Love shouldn’t have a price. Don’t waste your money by paying a fortune on similar quality rings. Join the trend and buy your rings wisely by heading over to modgents.com.
Stay tuned for my review video here.
Don’t forget to apply an exclusive 15% OFF discount at checkout by using the coupon code PRETTY15
UPDATE: They got engaged 2 months later last year in October 2018. YAY!
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