Every story is a unique representation of love – the meeting, the maturity of the relationship and the journey towards marriage. Two individuals coming together to build a life as one. Despite the hurdles and hiccups along the way, this is their happily ever after. Meet some newly engaged couples, basking in a state of romantic bliss. These loved up pairs have been kind enough to share their proposal stories with 77 World.
Today, we meet Nicole Portman, an account director who hails from Los Angeles and Grégoire Diquélou, a product developer from Brittany, France, who are both living in London.
Greg and Nicole met through a mutual friend who thought they would be perfect together. After much resistance, they met by chance and have been together ever since
First meeting: It all started with bread. Greg was working as a baker in East London with one of Nicole’s best friends, Clare, a pastry chef. Clare had an inkling her friend and colleague would be the perfect match so spent more than a year trying to set them up. Nicole shares, “We both love travelling and discovering new places and absolutely love bread! After months of declining Clare’s suggestion to meet Greg, I happened to visit her at work one evening. Of course, Clare pointed out Greg in the corner and not too long after, we started talking. Over three and a half years later, here we are.”
And, to imagine this meeting almost never took place! Greg explains, “Earlier in the year before we met, I had decided to leave London and move to Canada – so I quit my job, gave notice to my landlord, and sold my bike. A few weeks later, I remember seeing Clare’s friend walk in and it was then I realised how stupid I’ve been to have resisted meeting her for so long. It goes without saying, I didn’t end up leaving London and made the best decision I could’ve made.”
The one for me: Nicole: “I knew Greg was the one the moment I realised that no matter where I was in the world, however far from friends or family, as long as I was with him, I felt home.”
Greg: “I knew Nicole was the one the moment I realised that wherever I will be, however much I will have, I will be the richest and luckiest man because I have her in my life.”
Greg proposed to Nicole (pictured above) on the balcony of an opera house once all the guests had left for the evening
Proposal: As avid travel enthusiasts, Greg decided to pop the question on a trip abroad. After deliberating and waiting for the right moment which equated to several trips and seven months later, he finally found the perfect spot in Prague, a trip he planned for Nicole’s 30th birthday. “It was a Saturday evening and we had just finished watching an opera in the city. I was lingering around trying to plan how I was going to do it and waiting for the right moment. We found a nice corner on the balcony of the opera house and the place had emptied out completely. Nicole thanked me for her birthday present, and I jokingly accused her of never closing her eyes when giving me a kiss. She tightly shut her eyes to prove a point and offered me a kiss, and when she opened them I was on one knee,” Greg recalls.
The ring: Greg proposed with a temporary ring as he knew Nicole would want to be a part of the ring design process. Since childhood, Nicole dreamed of a classic solitaire ring with a round brilliant diamond. With the bespoke team at 77 Diamonds, they designed a thin classic yellow gold band. “When we picked the ring up, we were both on cloud nine as it went above and beyond what we had imagined and both felt an overwhelming wave of happiness. Needless to say, I felt so excited to put our ring on her finger,” says Greg.
Wedding plans: “Because Nicole and I are both from different parts of the world and have friends and family from all over, we are planning an Autumn wedding next year in one of our favorite places in the world, Crete,” Greg shares. “It’ll probably be one of the only times everyone we know and love will be in the same city, and it’ll be an honour to celebrate such a special day together.”
With the bespoke design team at 77, Greg designed a classic solitaire engagement ring for Nicole in 18k yellow gold with a round brilliant diamond