Here’s Where Those 'Love Is Blind' Engagement Rings Come From
Netflix's hit reality show Love is Blind is original in several ways, but maybe the biggest reason is because by the end of each season, the couples—who get engaged sight-unseen— are ready to say "I do" after only meeting through a wall. Whether or not their engagements will last, fans have been left with one burning question after the proposals: Where did all those engagement rings come from, anyway?
Well, season 4 of the beloved show recently premiered, and with every new season comes new engagements. And more importantly, new rings.
During season 2, it was safe to assume that producers had contestants locked down, even when cameras weren't rolling (it's been reported that they slept in trailers on the studio lot in Atlanta where the pod portion of the series was filmed), which doesn't leave a lot of opportunities for ring shopping.
While few nitty-gritty details have been revealed by producers or cast members, series creator Chris Coelen and various reps have let fans in on some of the show's secrets, including where the guys got those diamonds. I mean, I couldn't help noticing that Amber Pike, Lauren Speed, and Jessica Batten all had pretty similar-looking rings after season one.
Where do the rings come from?
It turns out, the engagement rings viewers see on season 2 and 3 (and will continue to see in future seasons), come from Bridal Rings Company, a family-owned and operated jewelry company in Los Angeles.
"Since they were in the facility and weren't able to go out into the 'real world' at that point, they couldn't have been able to go [to a shop]," Coelen said. "We wouldn't have allowed them to at that point. It's obviously such a gigantic moment in people's lives that we wanted it to be as authentic to them as it possibly could be."
In an interview with ET, Coelen revealed that when they were ready to pop the question, the guys were able to pick a ring from a collection. Each guy was allowed to choose whatever bling they liked best. Season 3's Brennon Lemieux confirmed this: "On the show, we had rings to select from, which was super nice," he told WH when considering rings for fianceé Alexa Alfia.
"I think we had an option of like seven to 10 rings to rate based on the pod days," Bartise Bowden, another season 3 cast member, added. "Because that's something you would talk about on a pod date with your potential fiancé is what kind of ring do you like, so the guys had to rate which ones we thought our women would like the most."
Who pays for the rings?
The show does. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me! "Whatever they choose, we pay for. Whatever we pay for, they keep, regardless of engagement ending," a rep told POPSUGAR.
During season 2, some guys (like Kyle) came prepared with their own family rings. But for everyone else, "if they want to propose and want to have a ring to give, we provide—up to a certain level—a ring for them to do that with," Coelen explained to Variety.
"If they choose to do that, we actually give choices. There are, like, 10 or 12 different styles and colors. It’s up to them, they don’t have to. There’s no pressure to do that." (TBH, I'm having Bachelor and Bachelorette flashbacks.) So, as for the whole silver/gold ring debate... it really *is* up to the guys.
Couples can pay more to embellish a ring.
Although the rings might look similar, each ring is unique in its own right—Netflix shared that the men proposing discussed their ring choices together during season 2, according to POPSUGAR. But of course, if couples want to add a little something-something to the ring, they'd have to pay out of pocket, the outlet said.
"If they wanted to spend their own money, or try to enhance it within reason, we would certainly allow that," he said. "We would never put any constraints on them unless it was something we couldn't accommodate within the show. That was really up to them."
Do the women ever propose?
That decision is left up to each couple, Coelen said. "Most [women] say they don’t want to do that, but we always tell them, this is your story. No one is stopping anyone."
What happens to the ring if the couple breaks up?
Well, it happened in season 2 with Natalie Lee and Shayne Jansen, as they had a huge fight the night before their wedding and ended up not getting hitched. (Plus, two couples from season 4 also call it quits really early on.) However, Natalie kept the engagement ring and revealed on her IG story that the production company and Netflix allow contestants to keep the rings no matter the couple's status, per The List. Sounds pretty nice to me!
And while you wait to see which couples stay together after season 4, you can always book yourself a Love is Blind vacation at the resort in Mexico where previous seasons' couples stayed.
You Might Also Like
