When Leila Roker and Sylvain Gricourt first met at a bar in Paris in January 2018, it was on a night when neither of them really wanted to go out. Leila, who was studying journalism at the American University of Paris at the time, was at the bar for her college roommate’s last bartending shift, and Sylvain was stopping by a colleague’s going-away party.

One of Sylvain’s colleagues, Romain, approached Leila and her friends with confidence, attempting to chat up the American girls, but struck out. He tried again, and this time, he brought Sylvain—a tall man (six-foot-five, to be exact) with a “thick French accent” and a quiet, “gentle manner,” about him, as Leila recalls. Sylvain and Leila started talking, and soon discovered that they shared a similar sense of humor and a mutual love of writing. “What began as a casual conversation turned into something deeper,” Leila says.

Leila, who now works in public relations as a global travel account manager at Finn Partners, and Sylvain, who is a sustainability content manager at Economie D’Energie, soon started dating. After about two years together, they hit a milestone in their relationship when covid lockdowns began, and they decided to stay together in Leila’s small Paris studio. For a time, France’s strict protocols allowed for just one outing a day, so the couple spent nearly every moment together.

“What we lacked in space, we made up for in ritual: Apérol spritzes at golden hour, elaborate charcuterie boards, and long evenings spent watching reality television,” Leila says. They discovered that even in tough times (and in quite a small space), they felt at ease with each other. They navigated further challenges together, like visa renewals, cultural differences, and personal growth. But over time, they chose each other again and again.

In February 2025, after about seven years of dating, Sylvain proposed to Leila. But first, he asked her parents—Al Roker and Deborah Roberts—for their blessing. At Christmas 2024, while Al and Deborah were visiting the couple in Paris, Sylvain asked. “I found a quiet moment one morning to ask her father, Al, to join me for coffee at a small brasserie in our neighborhood on the Right Bank. Over two espressos, I asked for his blessing, and his warm, immediate response confirmed something I had already felt—that our families had truly come together,” Sylvain says.

For the proposal, Sylvain took Leila on a surprise trip to Venice, Italy for Carnevale, the festive season of parades known for elaborate masquerade performances. “As two Scorpios drawn to the strange and beautiful, it felt perfectly chosen,” Leila says.

After evening drinks, the two had dinner at the Hotel Danieli. “Our table overlooked the terrace and was set with a bouquet of roses and a Venetian mask, a detail that felt both romantic and theatrical,” Leila says. “After one of the best meals I’ve ever had—Venetian duck ragù, which has since become a staple in our home—the moment arrived. When I asked for the dessert menu, the server instead returned with a small cake inscribed ‘Veux-tu m’épouser?’”

As Leila read the cake’s message, she saw that Sylvain had gotten down on one knee. “Through tears, I said yes as the entire restaurant erupted in applause,” she recalls. “In a serendipitous twist, the couple seated next to us shared that they were celebrating their anniversary—after he had proposed to her in that very same restaurant two years earlier,” Leila says.

When it came time to plan the wedding, Leila and Sylvain knew they wanted to celebrate in both the U.S. and France. They planned their American wedding with the help of JoAnn Gregoli of Elegant Occasions. They were officially married in Paris on May 9 and held their second wedding celebration in New Jersey on May 23.

In Paris, they had a civil ceremony at the local mairie, or town hall, in the 17th arrondissement. “What followed was incredibly touching. [The officiant] thoughtfully incorporated many of the personal details we had shared—including a mention of our miniature poodle, Clouseau—which made the ceremony feel uniquely ours,” Sylvain says. “A detail I particularly appreciated, specific to the 17th arrondissement, was the gift we received afterward: honey produced by beehives on the town hall rooftop, along with two fine ink pens—a symbolic wish for a sweet and fruitful future.”

After the legal wedding, they held a church ceremony at Église Saint-Odile. “We included readings from people deeply important to us—my grandmother, my godmother, Leila’s sister, and one of her bridesmaids—making it feel both intimate and personal,” Sylvain says. Following the church ceremony, they held a garden reception at Le Manoir de Gressy Hotel just outside of the city. “Its lush greenery and quiet atmosphere feel worlds away from the bustle of Paris—more evocative of Provence than the capital. We were fortunate enough to have the first sunny day in over a week, as guests gathered in the garden over Champagne,” shares Leila. After the bouquet toss, Leila’s parents gave a speech in French, and the guests sat down for dinner, followed by dancing.

Their American wedding at Pendry Natirar in New Jersey was equally as meaningful, Leila shares, adding that the ceremony felt like “a true homecoming” for her. “It was officiated by Reverend Brenda Husson, who christened me as a baby,” she shares. “Renowned mezzo-soprano and family friend Denyce Graves moved us to tears with her rendition of the Lord’s Prayer, while my uncle, Chris Roker, godmother, Agenia Clark, and close family friend, Marva Smalls, shared readings centered on enduring love and devotion,” she says. In front of their guests, the bride and groom exchanged vows they had written.

Reciting his vows in both French and English, the groom remembered the first night they met, at that Paris bar: “There is something truly extraordinary about the way we met. We were born seven years and an ocean apart, and throughout our lives, we walked through places that had nothing to do with one another and crossed paths with hundreds of people. And yet, that night, we found ourselves face to face, and it all felt completely natural. I would even say that I could not have been anywhere else, and that I was meant to be there to find you.”