September 12, 2019
First Meeting
A serendipitous collision at a gallery opening in Montmartre. Amelie was admiring a watercolour of the Seine when James accidentally sent her wine glass arcing across the room. He spent the next twenty minutes apologising; she spent them laughing. By midnight they had exchanged numbers on a paper napkin and argued amiably about the painting for forty-five minutes.
October 3, 2019
First Date
A candlelit dinner at a tiny bistro sandwiched between two antiquarian bookshops on the Rue de Buci. They ordered the prix-fixe without reading it, shared a bottle of Burgundy, and talked until the proprietor began stacking chairs around them. The subjects covered: old films, the correct way to make a béchamel, whether pigeons have feelings, and the shape of their respective childhoods.
March 14, 2022
The Proposal
James had carried the ring for three months, waiting for the right moment. He chose a crisp Sunday in March at the Parc de Sceaux, under an absurd explosion of cherry blossoms that carpeted the path in pink. He had rehearsed a speech. He forgot every word of it the moment she turned around. He got down on one knee anyway. She said yes before he had finished the question.
June 20, 2026
The Wedding
And now the most beautiful chapter of all. We will exchange our vows at St. Catherine's Chapel as the afternoon light turns golden, and celebrate long into the night at Château de Miramare surrounded by the people who have shaped our story. We cannot wait to share this day with you.
"I have found the one whom my soul loves."— Song of Solomon 3:4