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To think of what could have been!
Every breakup or divorce of end-of-engagement is sad, and though Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth proved to be a mismatch in the end, we can't help but imagine what their wedding would have been like.
The engagement ring that sealed their betrothal in May 2012 was a promising start. Hemsworth popped the question to Cyrus, whom he'd been dating since they met on the set of The Last Song in 2009, with a one-of-a-kind, 3.5-carat cushion-cut diamond engagement ring from Neil Lane. The sparkler's hand-cut center stone dates back to the late 19th century and features a sprinkling of smaller diamonds set in an intricately carved 18-karat gold setting. "It's a contemporary design based on vintage aesthetics," Lane told People. The celebrity jeweler included that Hemsworth was very involved in the ring's design process and that the piece was finished only a week before the proposal. Maybe the timeless yellow gold band was a bad sign—though beautiful and classic, it definitely clashes with the provocative persona Cyrus adopted not long after.
Then there was the dress. Cyrus reportedly requested that Marchesa create a one-of-a-kind gown for her. A friend of the Marchesa brand told Life & Style magazine last November that Cyrus had narrowed down her choice to two dresses. Marchesa wedding dresses often lean toward the ethereal and romantic side of fashion, which would have been a striking contrast with the platinum cropped hairstyle Cyrus began sporting last year.
But what really made us look forward to what could have been was the warm words Cyrus shared about Hemsworth throughout their relationship. "I'm not really a big lovey person. I'm not, like, mushy," Cyrus told People. "I was pretty much like, 'I'm going to die alone!' Liam was the first person that made me want to be in a real relationship."
That real bond was strong, and she shared some (surprisingly!) sage words about marriage soon after. "Life is too short not to be with the person you want to be with," she told Marie Claire shortly after getting engaged. "I don't really care about the wedding or the piece of paper as much as I do the promise we've made to each other."
Though the signs and causes of a rift were pretty obvious, it still took a while for Cyrus and Hemsworth to make the tough decision to call it quits. After all, Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" drips with some serious remorse. As the sun sets on their relationship, we'll remember the good times (his face), the bad (her VMAs performance), and the sad. (The Last Song is, coincidentally, a great break-up movie).
—Terri Pous
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