The Arzels

They first met in 2019 at the after-party of a film premiere. Victoria was in the film, and Ian was a guest. It was a brief introduction. Ian told a friend, "I could see myself dating a girl like her." Fast forward a few months to a second screening. Ian wasn’t planning to go, until he heard Victoria would be there to which he responded, "I can be there in 30 minutes." This time, they were properly reintroduced.. and didn’t stop talking. A shared love of history sparked the conversation, and before they knew it, they were trying to keep the night going long after everything had closed. Victoria said, “We’re either never going to speak again after tomorrow and you’ll think I’m crazy... or we’re going to get married.” Ian just smiled and said, “I think we’re going to get married.” The next morning, he asked her to breakfast. A few weeks later, he asked her to be his girlfriend on post-it notes. 6 months later, they adopted a cat. 6 years later, they are planning a wedding.

Victoria had always dreamed of traveling abroad, and Ian made that dream come true with their first trip to Europe together. They spent two weeks in Carnac, France, the hometown of his grandparents and father. They spent their time biking through old towns, enjoying the beaches, eating incredible food, visiting all of the places Ian had talked to Victoria about from his childhood memories, and spending time with Ian’s family. Toward the end of the trip, Ian told Victoria they had a ferry to catch to Île de Houat. On the drive, he said he wanted to stop and show her one more nostalgic place. That stop was the Côte Sauvage - a scenic stretch of coastline with dramatic cliffs like something out of a period piece movie. He walked with her to the top of the cliffside, overlooking the ocean, and wrapped his arms around her as they took in the view. He started telling her about how he used to come to that very spot with his grandfather — and later on his own — to think about his future. He told her how he would stand there and imagine what his life might look like, wondering if it was somewhere across the ocean. Then, pointing out to the horizon, he asked, "Do you know where that is? Do you know what’s on the other side?" He smiled and said, "That’s Georgia. I’ve been standing here looking out at my future… and I was looking at you all this time." Then he asked her to marry him. He told his grandfather, when he was a little boy, that one day he would propose to his future wife on that clifftop... and he made his dream come true.