In the car on the way to her first proposal, Stephanie Koenig, who stars in “English Teacher” on Hulu, asked her soon-to-be fiancé, Chris Riggi, “You’re not proposing, are you?”
“No, God no,” he said. Mr. Riggi was, in fact, about to propose.
But first, as he walked Ms. Koenig in freezing temperatures (without their winter coats) toward Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, N.Y., he slipped on ice and hit his head. After he proposed and Ms. Koenig said yes, the freshly engaged couple found themselves locked out of their car. They called an Uber and were half an hour late to an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Mr. Riggi’s parents, who, because they didn’t know about the proposal, were annoyed by the tardiness. After the couple announced their news, all was forgiven.
A few months later, Mr. Riggi wanted a proposal re-do and, she said, botched that one too. Ms. Koenig married Mr. Riggi with two engagement rings — her great grandmother’s wedding ring on her left hand, a garnet on her right — and a wedding band with diamonds from Mr. Riggi’s parents. In an interview that has been edited and condensed, Ms. Koenig talks about her attachment to all three rings.
Describe your first engagement ring.
One is an antique, almost like a band of very small, I guess, they’re diamonds, but you wouldn’t even know.
And your second engagement ring?
This is a red garnet oval ring on a gold band, but then a silver platform that’s holding the garnet.
What about your actual wedding ring?
It’s a flat oval. It’s got a circular diamond with two square diamonds on the side. And I designed it with this jeweler in Grand Rapids, Mich., who I think is splendid. His name is Michael Hoffman.
