After turning rare discovery into engagement ring, couple ties knot in pearl-themed wedding

A Rhode Island couple that found a pearl inside a clam and turned it into a shining, eye-catching engagement ring tied the knot last month surrounded by family and friends.

Ken Steinkamp and Sandy Sikorski were eating clams at a restaurant in Westerly, Rhode Island on Dec. 27, 2021 when Sikorski tasted something pretty odd.

It turned out to be a pearl, and she liked it so much that Steinkamp turned it into a ring for her. They had a jeweler wrap the ring in 18 karat gold and add diamonds on the side. Once the ring was completed, they got engaged on July 6, 2023.

Just over nine months later on April 14, the pair wed at a small ceremony at Avondale Chapel in Westerly. Following their nuptials, they had a reception at Ocean House, a resort a few miles away, surrounded by 25 friends and family members.

The couple made pearls part of their special day as well with a pearl-themed wedding cake and shoes outfitted with pearls for Sikorski’s granddaughter, they told USA TODAY Friday morning.

Sikorski wore a strapless gown with crystals.

“It has lace down the bottom,” she said, adding that it was quite heavy. “It was like walking around with a weight the whole night … Beautiful dress. I got a lot of compliments on it.”

How it all began: She found a pearl inside of a clam. Now, it's her engagement ring.

Support of loved ones got the couple through their special day

The day of their nuptials, there was quite a storm brewing outside, the couple told USA TODAY, adding that Sikorski’s brother ushered her safely from the house to the car so they could head to the chapel.

“We parked the car, literally, on the grass in the front yard,” she recalled. “He put towels down so I could get into the car … So I get in the car and it is pouring buckets.”

Her brother accidentally tipped the umbrella and got her dress wet, but she was able to clean it up just fine, she said.

Steinkamp and Sikorski laughed and said they heard rainy days mean good luck during weddings.

And in addition to her brother coming to her rescue, there was another family member whose participation was vital in the festivities: her 93-year-old father, Louis Bald.

He set out to walk her down the aisle and was determined to make it happen despite having his own health issues, she said.

“Up until two days before, we didn't know whether or not he would be able to walk her down the aisle,” Steinkamp said. “We had hired an assistant or a CNA to help him down the aisle in case anything happened.”

With the CNA sitting in the back row ready to respond, Bald walked his daughter down the aisle with a cane. He normally uses a walker but his daughter had him practice with the cane a few days before the wedding to get him comfortable.

“I think I hung on to him,” she said. “He was a trooper. He did great.”

Planning the big day: Couple who found pearl inside clam, turned it into engagement ring discuss wedding journey

Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a poem

The couple also tapped someone to read an Apache wedding poem at the ceremony.

Once they said “I do,” they took photos and headed to Ocean House to make their grand entrance, walking down a stairway where everyone was having cocktails and applauded.

“It is just unreal,” she recalled. “Downstairs has this gorgeous sweeping staircase which we were able to go down, and right at the bottom of the stairs was my family … I thought that was very special with everybody there, my dad sitting in the wheelchair waiting for me.”

For their first dance, Steinkamp and Sikorski danced to “Everything I Do (I Do It for You)” by Céline Dion and Bryan Adams.

Sikorski said the reception venue was very classy and she loved the finishing touches such as champagne, flowers, and more.

Once the festivities were over, the couple stayed at Ocean House where they had a beautiful view of the ocean.

As they celebrated, Steinkamp gave a speech he was pretty proud of and worked in their pearl theme.

“This was a million in one pearls, but you are the real pearl,” he told her.

Honeymooners spent a few weeks in the city of love

The newlyweds left for Paris a few days after the wedding. They went to Paris for a week and then Nice, they said.

“We went and visited the Louvre,” Steinkamp said, adding that they returned on April 29.

Now that they’re back stateside, they want to check out Quahog Week, a celebration from May 11 to 18 in honor of clams, restaurants and fishermen that help Rhode Island’s local food economy expand.

After all, their ring was made from a clam they came across by chance. It’s quite the conversation starter and people notice it all the time, calling it beautiful.

“I’ve had so many compliments about my ring even though they don’t know the story,” Sikorski said.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Couple turns rare discovery into ring, weds in pearl-themed ceremony