Jules and her friend from Clemson, Austin, had decided to visit Peru in April of 2024. Austin had signed them up for an excursion to hike to the highest elevated lake in Peru, called Lake Humantay. Raj had planned a solo trip first stopping in Costa Rica before heading to Peru where, he too, had signed up for the Lake Humantay excursion. After reaching the top, while everyone was taking in the scenic view, Jules snapped a candid of Raj soaking in that moment. She had thought it was beautiful that he was truly just enjoying the moment and that if she had been traveling solo, she would have loved to have that moment captured. On the descent, Jules showed Raj the picture and asked if he would like her to send it to him - getting his number in the process. They met up two more times while in Peru before departing to go their separate ways, but that was only just the beginning!

After Peru, Raj & Jules kept in touch. First texting occasionally, then calling every once in a while, then Facetiming. Their communication went from once or twice a week to every day, and eventually Raj decided he needed to see Jules again and booked a trip to NYC that June. In NYC, Jules showed Raj all her favorite sites and the delicious food that the city has to offer. Their first date was walking along the waterfront in Brooklyn and ended with a sushi dinner. The next day, they had drinks at a floating bar in the Hudson River that overlooked downtown Manhattan called the Willy Wall. At the end of the trip, they both knew what a special connection they had and Raj officially asked Jules to be his girlfriend!

Since that day, Raj and Jules have traveled all over, making stops in - Montreal, North & South Carolina, Calgary, the Jersey Shore, Arizona, upstate New York, Italy, Denver, and Portugal! And we can't wait for all that's ahead!

Raj & Jules planned a quick getaway at the end of the summer to visit the best man, Morris, in Portugal. Raj's other groomsman, Luke, also joined and Jules saw this as her opportunity to make a great first impression on them both! Focused on enjoying time together and having fun with the boys, Jules was caught completely by surprise when Raj popped the question while on a hike, in a foreign country, near a beautiful body of water - just like how they had met.