We’d been together for 12 years when I decided to propose to Elysée. My definition of a marriage is a celebration of the relationship between two people. But Élysée is a total people person, and it was really important to her that we be surrounded by a lot of people. Wedding planning, it turns out, can be pretty intimidating, especially for an introvert like me, but it sparked many interesting discussions. That’s how JÉ T’AIME came to life.

We started brainstorming, a process that turned out to be illuminating and helped steer us in a new and wonderful direction. We started thinking, in a profound way, about what we really wanted out of our life together. What was our purpose? We realized that, rather than strive to surround ourselves with material comforts, what we really desired was to experience ephemeral, beautiful moments together. We already knew what gave us the most joy, was travelling and getting to know the locals. So we decided that our lifestyle would reflect that, set out across the world, and find a way to help spread love.