We're getting married!

Some love stories begin with grand gestures. Ours began with a global pandemic, a taco bar that was somehow still open, and an app that insisted we might be compatible. In March 2021, Mandy, an American from Ohio, and Marine, a Frenchwoman from Aix-en-Provence, met the old-fashioned way: on Bumble. The world was socially distanced, masked, and slightly chaotic, which felt like an appropriately dramatic backdrop for what would become a very international love story. There was, however, a small but critical plot twist: Bumble gives you 24 hours to respond… and Mandy happened to notice Marine’s message with only about one hour left on the clock. No pressure, just the potential expiration of a life-altering conversation. Fortunately, Mandy responded in time - arguably one of her most impressive punctual moments, which anyone who knows her (and her chronic lateness) will recognize as nothing short of a miracle. Our first date took place at Broken English in Chicago, one of the few places still open at the time. We sat apart (as one did in 2021), ate tacos, and quickly realized that despite being from different countries, cultures, and upbringings, we were remarkably aligned on the important things: traveling anywhere and everywhere, enthusiastically trying new foods (yes, including insects), staying active (triathlons are our shared love language), having nearly identical music taste, and - perhaps most tellingly - both knowing how to drive manual cars. A niche but powerful bonding point. Somewhere between pandemic walks, long conversations, and plotting future trips, Chicago stopped being just the place we lived and became the place we built a life together. Three years ago, we bought our first home together. Since then, we’ve logged a respectable number of passport stamps together: Mexico, Iceland, Ireland, the UK, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Corsica, Japan, Thailand… and counting. We’ve learned how to navigate jet lag, foreign grocery stores, and the art of choosing between scenic drives and mastering the local train system. At home, our favorite third wheel is Juna, our almost-two-year-old fur baby, who has very strong opinions about walks, snacks, and being included in all major life decisions. She lives alongside Zoey, Mandy’s 19-year-old geriatric cat, who has seen it all, judges quietly, and remains firmly in charge. The proposal story is, appropriately, very on-brand for us: international, slightly chaotic, and perfectly timed across time zones. While in Japan, completely unplanned and without coordinating with each other (truly), we each decided to propose - one day apart locally, but technically on the same day back in the United States: November 26, 2025. A double proposal, separated by 24 hours and thousands of miles’ worth of time zones, but somehow still perfectly in sync. We like to think that says everything. Now, we’re bringing this very global love story full circle by getting married on September 5, 2026, in the South of France - close to Marine’s roots and a place that already holds many of our favorite memories. What started as a Bumble match during a pandemic turned into a home, a dog, a 19-year-old cat, a dozen countries, two rings, and a life that feels very much like ours. And honestly, it all began with tacos… and a very well-timed reply. Photography by our talented friend, David Segui.