Neil Lane‘s name is synonymous with The Bachelor franchise. The celebrity jeweler has been designing custom engagement rings for Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants since its first season in 2002. And while Neil is keeping tight-lipped on any details surrounding Katie Thurston‘s season of suitors, he did expand on what it’s like meeting with the final two men each season as he guides them through the process of picking the ring of their dreams.
“It is so special, so sweet, so sentimental,” Lane EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife. “You’re dealing with these guys that have met the love of their life. In that moment, they’re the most in love. They’re looking at six rings that they’ve never looked at before, and trying to decide. We do film for quite a while and what we see on TV is probably just five to ten minutes of that. But it’s a huge emotional thing. You’re thinking, ‘Oh my God I want to get her the best ring, she’s my princess and I want to get her the ring of her dreams.’ It’s very special for me.”
The engagement ring king also revealed what happens to the remaining rings that are not personally selected by one of the series’ contestants. “I reuse them, go over the reason they’re not chosen and I reconfigure them a few different times, change them about,” said Lane. “I put a new setting in, sometimes I use them again. It depends, I have a whole arsenal of rings, different designs that I have done over the years. It’s kind of fun to have them and I’ve learned from each one.”
Meanwhile on July 22, Neil announced his first-ever hotel partnership with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, turning his unique vision for one-of-a-kind dream weddings into a reality. The “Fairmont Weddings, by Neil Lane” package combines Lane’s passion for design with the extraordinary expertise, iconic venues, luxury offerings, and thoughtful services for which Fairmont is known for.
For the first time, couples will have exclusive access to consult with Neil and a dedicated team of highly experienced wedding planners who have been entrusted to bring his creative vision to life. “I’m going to give them my expertise, my designs, and my aesthetics because that’s why they’ve come to me — for my advice,” the celebrity jeweler said.
“But I’m going to listen to them and learn what they want, who the person is, and make their dreams come true,” he added. “The first ten couples with a confirmed booking will receive a private one-on-one virtual consultation with me. I’ll be talking with them, bringing out their aesthetics, mainly talking about their ring designs and elements from the details of their ring into the décor.”