Rachel and Thomas are two nature lovers whose love story spans many countries. Rachel is from the States, Thomas is French, but they met in Costa Rica, and now live in Austria! The first four photos from this engagement shoot took place in the fall at the gardens of The Royal Palace of Aranjuez – a suburb of Madrid, Spain where they and the photographer were all living at the time. The second part took place in the spring, in Paris, just days before their wedding. Read below for their story, and check back later today to see their Parisian backyard wedding!

From the Bride:

Before the Ring:
Thomas and I met in Costa Rica. Thomas is French. He went to graduate school at Duke with my cousin’s husband and was a groomsman at their wedding. My cousin was my best friend growing up. I had been bitten by a dog while hiking a few weeks before the wedding & everyone said I needed to get a rabies vaccination. The night after meeting him he offered to take me into the village to seek medical treatment- on his bike. We sang Manu Chao songs and really hit it off. We held hands and drank coconut juice. I never did get the vaccination but thankfully I didn’t die of rabies, ha ha, I was bitten by a love bug. We pretty much fell in love in front of my whole family… I didn’t think I’d see him again but then a few days after returning to the states he invited me to Paris to celebrate new years 07′ with him. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. We dated long distance for nine months and then I moved to Paris & the rest is history.

The Proposal:
We got engaged in the summer of 2009. We were both in CA visiting my parents, and he asked for their blessing. We went down to the beach (they live near Santa Cruz) and somehow he had hidden the ring on a rock and told me to climb up it. I did and knew then and there he was proposing, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. It was beautiful!

Photography: Izzy Hudgins Photography / First Half Venue: Gardens at the Royal Palace, Spain