Our love story begins like so many others. With a COVID hookup in Miami and a third-date trip to Tulum.

In the spring of 2021, Mike had been in Miami for about 10 days and couldn’t get enough of the city. Aude had been in Miami for 10 years and had had enough of it. Mike arrived living out of one suitcase, while Aude had packed hers for a permanent return to Europe.

Mike and Aude matched on Hinge, and a shared love of France spared Aude one of Mike’s over-edited opening lines. Characteristically, Aude cancelled the first date due to a “migraine.” While Mike initially thought she was just another dating-app flake, he could relate to debilitating migraines (he had them as a kid) and was intrigued by Aude’s offer to make up for it with a jar of homemade salted caramel which, according to her Hinge profile, she could “whip up in under 10 minutes.”

After a first date at KYU and a second date of dancing + tequila shots, Tulum was an obvious choice for a third date. Mike was celebrating his birthday and Aude was celebrating a free trip to Tulum. She gave her friends Kristina and Sarah her travel itinerary…in case third-date Mike Rodriguez had other plans in Mexico… More than making it back in one piece, the trip put us on the fast-track to falling in love.

After a couple months of dating in Miami, Aude made her long-awaited return to France while Mike took his suitcase life to New York. A love letter Mike sent Aude while in New York kept Aude intrigued. After a couple months of long-distance, Mike called Aude and told her he was thinking of making a trip to France…tomorrow. Aude was conflicted on whether to be annoyed with Mike’s last-minute planning, or excited to reunite with him in France. Luckily, the excitement won.

The long-distance relationship would continue through the fall with Aude and Mike making several trips to France, Germany, New York, and California to see each other. In January 2022, when Mike accepted a new job in Los Angeles, Aude had already packed her bags (and Nox) with plans to join him. Mike thought she was crazy.

A year and a half later, after a second trip to Tulum and several more nights of tequila shots + dancing, Mike started ring shopping. On a trip to France for Aude’s uncle’s 70th birthday, Mike told Aude he was able to get a dinner reservation at the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc in Antibes. Antibes was a special space for Aude – where her grandparents lived, where her parents got married, where she spent her summers growing up. She had mentioned to Mike that the Hotel du Cap was a place she had always dreamed of going. After flight chaos nearly derailed Mike’s engagement plans, he got down on one knee on July 1, 2023.

All of you have been an integral part of our life stories and we hope you’ll join us next June as we celebrate the next chapter of our love story. There will be plenty of tequila shots + dancing!