France has always held a special place in my heart. My mom read to me the Madeline books when I was little. I quickly became obsessed with the old house in Paris covered in vines with the 12 little girls in two straight lines and obviously memorized the books.
My mom promised me that for my 16th birthday, I could go to Paris.
With that in mind, in 6th grade I had to pick a language so I picked to study French so I could (attempt to) speak it when I went for my 16th birthday in 10th grade.
We did a girl’s trip to Paris over spring break my sophomore year of high school. I definitely was not able to speak the language but I definitely was obsessed with all things France.
After my trip, my junior year, I became president of French Honor Society. Senior year, I took AP French and continued to be president.
Apparently, I scored so high on my French AP exam that I was able to skip the beginner level French classes at Wake Forest in the fall of 2016. Wake had a requirement that you had to make it to a 200-level language course to graduate. I started my freshman year in the only French class I had to take, but I decided to keep with it.
My spring semester of freshman year there was this really cute guy from the track team in my French class.
After freshman year it was pretty clear that if I kept with French, I could study abroad in France my junior year and major in French.
The fall of my Sophomore year, that cute guy from my freshman year French class became my speaking partner in our French conversation class.
Alex was so nice, handsome, funny and smart. I invited him to run for Kappa Delta during Hit the Bricks around the quad.
I then thanked him for helping us win by inviting him to our Hometown Throwdown themed date function that I was planning and running.
He came decked out in Chicago gear. I represented Long Island with a J.Crew dress, big pearls and curly hair. I made him guess where I was from and what state I was representing. He guessed Connecticut… which wasn’t far off, but I told him he was wrong.
I didn’t see him the rest of the night. I was running the function- coordinating the buses, making sure everyone and their dates were behaving and not enjoying myself at all. But a year later I found out he was thrilled that he didn’t really have to spend the night being my date because he didn’t even want to go with me but came anyway.
Spring semester of sophomore year, we were still in French class together. This was one of the hardest classes I took at Wake. This class required a lot of study groups and team effort.
Most of the kids in that French class eventually became part of the group to study abroad in Dijon, France in fall 2018.
I flew over to Charles de Gaulle in August 2018 with a couple of my female classmates, one of them being my best friend, Kate. From Paris we took a high speed 1.5-hour train to Dijon.
While boarding the train, Alex appeared in our train car. I was so excited to see him. Alex, polite as ever said hello back and went on his way to find a seat far away from me and my enthusiasm.
When our whole group, 12 Wake French Studies students and our French professor from school gathered in Dijon, we checked into our hotel, Hotel du Palais. I had a 50-pound suitcase and there was no elevator in sight. I made a joke to Alex that it would be so gentlemanly if he would take my bag up the stairs to my room with my classmates.
He didn’t hesitate even though on the inside (I later found out) he wanted to roll his eyes.
When I got to my room with my two girlfriends, they asked if they thought Alex and I would have a study abroad romance. I replied that I doubted it but I wouldn’t be opposed.
Our professor took us on our first trip through France to Provence. We took a big coach bus there and everyone spread out all throughout the rows. Me in the front, because I get bus sick, surrounded by my friends and professor and Alex in the back.
The next trip to the Burgundy region, my friends and I invited Alex to hang out with us. There ended up being a street fair in Autun, which was the town we were staying in and one night we ended up crashing into each other in bumper cars.
After bumper cars and wine, we all walked back to the hotel and Alex said he was going to sit outside and call his mom, I was worried about him and asked if he was okay.
On the way back from Autun, our coach bus stopped at a vineyard to take some pictures. Alex and I stood next to each other.
He also moved his seat from the back of the bus to the row right behind me.
That trip also took us to Normandy.
After a big group dinner at our hotel in Rouen, my two girlfriends, Alex and I took a walk to find some (more) wine.
While we are walking, Alex announced to our group of four that he wanted to be honest and confessed that he thought I was “really annoying up until this trip” but that he now really liked me and grabbed my hand.
I more insulted than flattered. My mouth was wide open. I questioned if he thought I was so annoying all the years he was my partner in French class and even when I took him as my date to my sorority date function. He said yes.
I appreciated the honesty but was horribly insulted.
I quickly got over it, and that night our group of 4 snuggled in bed and watched That 70’s Show. The next day, September 8, on the beaches of Normandy, Alex and I took another photo together and held hands.
That night our group stayed in a hotel in Mont Saint Michel. My girlfriends told me I had to tell him I liked him back.
Alex and I went for a walk that night and danced in front of Mont Saint Michel.
September 9, he held my hand again during a late-night walk around Chartres with our other friends in tow. Kate and I later jumped up and down and freaked out in our hotel room after.
On September 12, we started our trip in the Val de Loire. Alex and I got in our first fight. But quickly got over it and frolicked through the gardens secretly holding hands at Chateaux Chenonceau.
By September 13, all of our classmates, professor and even the bus driver knew that there was something going on.
At dinner in Tours, Alex sat across from me and his leg would not stop shaking. He asked if we could take a walk after dinner. He commented on the weather and how beautiful it was out. I told him to cut right to the chase.
He confessed that he called his mom because he couldn’t stop thinking about me and that he disliked me for so long and couldn’t understand how he could now not stop thinking of me.
He confessed his feelings for me. I held his hand and he asked if I was his girlfriend. I told him no, not yet, he had to work for it and take me out on a real date or two first.
That night he tried to kiss me back at our hotel when he walked me to my room, and I told him that our first kiss would not be at the Best Western.
The next night, we went for a walk again after dinner and I planted a kiss right on him.
We then went to Paris as a group and had the most amazing time, minus Alex’s food poisoning. My mom and sister even came to visit!
When we got back to Dijon, Alex and I went on our first real date, to a professional soccer game.
I told him the final test would be if we could travel well together. So, we traveled to Munich for Oktoberfest and met up with my high school bestie, Michelle, and after a successful trip with lots of beer and many trains, we made it official on October 6, 2018!
Our story came full circle when Alex took me for a walk after dinner in Nice, France and got down on one knee and proposed on September 1, 2024.
There are so many more stories and travels and trips I could share, but our origin story is a pretty good one I think.
We are so excited to be planning our wedding for summer 2026!
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