The Luxembourg Gardens, Paris

The Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, France will always hold an incredibly special place in my heart. In 2016, Matt and I traveled to Paris on our first international trip together, and if you’re a friend or family member, you’ll be familiar with the story I’m about to tell.

Matt and I first met during our freshman year at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. We didn’t have much to say to each other then, and we stayed mere acquaintances for the next four years of college. After we graduated, Matt and I met again on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where we both were interning for the summer. (I like to tell people that Matt totally pined for me during those four years in between.)

During the first month of that D.C. summer, true love blossomed: he tolerated my Virginia Woolf obsession, and I tolerated his constant joking. We started dating in June, and when summer ended, Matt left to pursue his MBA in South Carolina, and I started law school in Nashville. We planned our trip to Paris for months, and I had no idea that this trip would be so life-altering.

On the second day of our trip, we woke up early so we could explore the Luxembourg Palace, which is the seat of the French Senate. I took time to grab breakfast and asked Matt if we could sit outside and eat–it was only 8:30 in the morning, but he insisted we keep moving! By 9:00am, Matt was practically dragging me through the Luxembourg Gardens, even though I swatted him away as I tried to take pictures of each statue and flower. I still remember looking through my camera’s viewfinder when I heard him quietly say, “Elise?”

When I turned around, he was on one knee asking me to marry him, which was so shocking and exciting that I promptly started crying and nodding my head yes. The surprise grew when I turned and saw a photographer standing by—the wonderful Lindsey Kent of Pictours Paris (and the reason we had to be at the Palace by 9:00 am).

And then, despite the fact that I was wearing tennis shoes with my dress and my face was red from crying, we did an engagement photoshoot in the gardens. Later that night, we got to take more photos outside the Eiffel Tower and the Pont Alexandre II.

I still remember the raw emotions of that day–unimaginable joy, excitement, and love. I feel grateful every day to have found a partner who inspires me to explore the world.