I remember adding William’s headshot to our company website. The whole time I was thinking, "Oh, bonjour Monsieur Mondello. If I lived in France—we would SO be sharing some wine and cheese in Paris in no time. When William and I spoke professionally, I had to remind my crush-consumed self, in between my mental replays of his alluring French accent, that he was probably just as charming and personable to everyone. I asked him for some advice on an upcoming trip to Paris I had planned but really it was just an excuse to talk to him. Then we both had a work trip to Denver, Colorado, and I just KNEW that we were going to connect--I felt it in my bones--seriously! But I was wrong. This made me unreasonably sad so I took a last-minute comfort trip to Miami, Florida, and tried to forget all about this flirtatious Frenchman who probably had a femme--or deux--already.  Months later on Instagram, William "slid into my DMs." Our direct messages were still casual and friendly, but then William had a work trip to St. Louis, Missouri, and reached out to me because I'm from Kentucky and St. Louis are basically the same thing, oui? (LOL, it is NOT.) I randomly posted a picture of an avocado toast to my story (because yum!) and this was the catalyst for our conversation and relationship, and from there, we truly never stopped talking. I then had a trip planned to London and we knew we had to meet up to see if this avocado toast connection was real. From the moment we met in London, I felt like I was in a romantic comedy. We met at a beautiful fountain and his back was away from me as I approached him from behind (I am always the one running late). As soon as he turned around, we hugged so tightly and he picked me up off the ground as we spun. I'm pretty sure I kissed him right there--but you may need to confirm with William because it was a bit of blur. We knew this electric feeling would not soon go away and that we were in big trouble: our lives would never be the same again.

For her proposal, Tara was very clear about what she wanted: a big diamond ring AND the Eiffel Tower. For the first one, I just needed a check. Easy peasy (#JK). The second, that took A LOT of imagination and patience. As world history books will note, the global pandemic tossed the world significant challenges, one of them restricted access to those places that bring us happiness. To keep us safe, the government had us justify any moment we spent out of the apartment. Tara was here with me, but there was no restaurant, no movie theater, not even one attraction or museum where I could take her. Vanished were my hopes to do anything spectacular and it was perhaps as much challenging to find a good reason to get Tara out of the apartment. But love brings ideas and transports you to think about the unthinkable and push the boundaries away. Therefore, I gathered a group of friends to create a small happening in front of the Eiffel Tower, on the verge of illegality. Two musicians rehearsed in advance and played Tara's favorites love songs, "Fools Rush In" by Elvis Presley and "Lover" by Taylor Swift (which is why you'll find T. Swift lyrics all over this website). Additionally, one friend presented us with champagne, one would create a video of the proposal, and last but not least, one presented avocado toasts to symbolize how it all began. With a diamond ring in my pocket, I had to find a good reason in-line with current regulations to get Tara out of the apartment without revealing the surprise. Fortunately for me, she believed the clandestine restaurant story I told her and ventured out in the January cold. Unfortunately for her fingers, the only day the weather was decent enough for our historic moment was also the coldest of the year! But everything went so smoothly, because it was so obvious from the beginning; it was so natural, it was destiny. She said yes with thunderous applause and we got great shots from an unexpected photographer. Destiny, I tell you!

We are so excited to share our special day with all of our loved ones in Vouvray ("VOO-vray"), France! We cannot begin to express how much each of you mean to us. As you may know, we had our civil wedding on February 27, 2021 and due to the global pandemic, a ton of our friends and family members were not able to attend, which is why we can't wait to celebrate with you on July 9, 2022! And in true Tara and William fashion, we promise there will be some surprises along the way!