cette vie et chaque vie a venir...

It all started on September 17th, 2022 when both Franck and Elissa attended a barbecue at their dear friend's house in the Hollywood Hills. "Do you need any help?" he called out across the car park, in his thick French accent, after opening the gate for her. "Actually, can you take this?" She called back, and schlepped two of the four dripping bags of ice into his arms. She stood behind him in the kitchen as he bobbled the bags of ice trying to finagle them into the full freezer. Her presence had him on his heels, not a feeling he was used to, and she immediately thought to herself, "he's going to be in my life forever." Now he'll tell you after this first meeting that he knew he was going to marry her, and she'll say for the first time in her life she heard the whispered thought "is he the one?" September 20th, 2022 -- The first date. Franck arranged it all, including a parking spot, which was the first chivalrous act. "Noted." Elissa thought to herself. They sat down to eat at Gigi's, an incredibly cute and trendy restaurant on Sycamore. "Order whatever you want," he said. "What are you having?" she asked. "The beet salad." She almost giggled, but then proceeded to order the beet salad, as well. What she REALLY wanted was french fries so she went on to order the steak frites. He didn't order anything else. *It is worth noting that Franck eats enough for four people when he's not nervous ;)* September 24th, 2022 -- The negotiation. After staying up til 3 am talking about everything under the sun on their first date, Franck asked Elissa if she trusted him enough to take her on his very fast (very sexy) motorcycle a few days later for a second date. Who could resist? They rode through the canyons for hours, stopped at a hidden little restaurant tucked away in the mountains, and laughed. A lot. (It's fair to say, most of their close friends would describe them both as "rather serious people," but when they're together they always play.) They slipped into an overbooked Mr. T's for dinner, because while Franck has been known to have a prickly exterior he also somehow knows everyone and his rugged honesty creates the kind of bonds that make the world a more enjoyable and fun place -- like being able to slip into an impenetrable LA restaurant last minute. Elissa was smitten, but her very pragmatic practical side said "it's the adrenaline." They meander back to his apartment, where he had a present -- a pair of sneakers (unnecessary, but did he really pay attention to how much she loves her sneakers? touché), and Coco Bean (Elissa's very cute and very lovely fur-child) waited, per Franck's (clever) suggestion to have her there so Elissa wouldn't have to hurry off to go take care of the dog. They stood in the kitchen and the negotiation commenced. He started. She continued. He held strong to his truth about his feelings. She hmm-ed and haw-ed, nervous to admit her own. But eventually (after two "long, grueling hours" as he'd say) the more that unfolded the more in awe they were of just how perfect they were for one another. And here we are, a few months later and eagerly awaiting the big day. They dove down the rabbit hole and are so grateful they did <3

June 22nd - June 25th