Kelley grew up in St Paul, MN. She spent her days waterskiing and doing gymnastics and had hopes of one day traveling the world. She went to college at Gustavus Adolphus College where she did gymnastics her freshman year. She had the incredible opportunity to waterski professionally for a few years after college, which allowed her to travel and explore the world, visiting places like China, Australia, Jamaica & Lebanon. She ended up back in Minnesota and having been born with an entrepreneurial spirit, she started her own linen company in 2017. Today the company has over 20 employees and she continues to enjoy it. She met Seb in the fall of 2019 and upon introducing him to her dog, Lucy, they've been a very happy family ever since!
Sebastien grew up in Abingdon, England. He spent most of his time playing football with his mates at the local park and on local teams. He went to the University of St Mark & St John in Plymouth, England where he graduated with a degree in Coach & Physical Education. He spent time working as a lifeguard and playing semi-professional football, but had always dreamed of one day living in the USA. He got many different opportunities over the years to live and work in America - living in Connecticut, Boston and Seattle before moving to Minnesota (which he was not overly excited about as he had heard about their freezing winters!). He met Kelley in Minnesota in 2019 and eventually adopted her dog, Lucy. Seb now works as the Technical Director for Blaine Soccer Club.
Sebastien & Kelley met online and texted for weeks before they had their first date at the Tavern Grill in Arden Hills, MN. Their first conversation was about driving on the "wrong" side of the road (to which Seb still claims the right is the wrong side!). The second date was only a few days later - they grabbed coffee and shared a romantic autumn walk along White Bear Lake.
They both felt a connection very quickly and spent all their available time together. Their first vacation/ holiday was in January 2020 where they spent a few days in Las Vegas together - sitting atop the stratosphere and wandering the strip to see all of the casinos. When the Coronavirus hit in March of 2020, they decided to self-quarantine together (which Lucy loved!) and emerged engaged in June 2020!
Sebastien took Kelley to Hidden Falls Park in St Paul, and walked her along the Mississippi River beach. He taught her to skip stones in the river and they held hands along the beach, telling stories of their childhoods.
They then went in search of the Hidden Waterfalls, which definitely took a little bit of sleuthing to find! Once they found the right path to follow up to the waterfalls, they followed the beautiful stony creek up a winding hill. The old bricks and landscaping made everything feel romantic and hidden away from the world. The waterfall was not running very much, so Kelley and Seb were able to step into the basin and take a few photos. It was then that Seb got down on one knee and proposed!
With the extreme challenges that the summer of 2020 brought (Coronavirus Pandemic among them), Sebastien & Kelley had a very small ceremony in their backyard in White Bear Lake, MN with family. They transformed their backyard into a beautiful English Garden and it was a wonderful day - the only downside was that Seb's family and all of their friends could not be with them. We are very much looking forward to August 2021 to celebrate with all of you!