Met: Georgia Tech Pi Kappa Phi House!

Started Dating: 2006

Engaged: St. Petersburg, Russia on the Neva River

Engagement Pictures: Seoul, South Korea at Changgyeonggung (Palace) and Minho Jungmin Studio

Hitched: Killarney, Ireland at Cahernane Manor House

You might ask why we kept our website... Well, we wanted to maintain the content of our original wedding website and combine it with the memories from our wedding.  The biggest reason is  that our good friend bought the domain and service for us and we want to make use of it! (Thanks, Tanner!)  Here you can find details of our wedding and wedding pictures. Enjoy our updated website!

- The Jolissaints (est. 10.5.2014)

I met Matt in August 2006 right after I came back from Korea.  I attended his fraternity’s party, which was also my first frat party.  My maid of honor and best friend, Camila, asked me to join her.  As soon as I was introduced to Matt, I knew that he would become a great friend, but I did not expect him to become my boyfriend.  We left the party and strolled around Georgia Tech for four hours talking about random things.  I was amazed how an engineer was able to talk about classical composers, literature, history, and culture.  He was also very sincere and intelligent.  At one point he threw his brick phone (by then almost everyone already had smart phones) onto the ground to demonstrate the durability of his ancient phone.  He told me that he was happy with his phone and that he does not follow trends, which is something that I was taught by my family and found important.  His phone immediately shattered to pieces, but he very nonchalantly put it back together.  I felt so bad and embarrassed for him but that is when I knew that he was going to become someone special in my life.

Over the next two months we went gallivanting around Atlanta.  We found our favorite restaurants and coffee shops and went for long walks.  I was a bit frustrated though because every “date” was initiated by me and paid for by me.  Matt was very clueless and I started to wonder if he was secretly one of those guys who is afraid of commitment.  I started to become impatient but you cannot blame me for that, can you?  He FINALLY asked me out on October 7th at my college formal.  I was thrilled and over the moon.  I felt like I was the luckiest girl!

Over the next few years we were always together – traveling, exploring, and planning our future together.  My time in college with Matt is one of my favorite periods in my life.  We entered into a long distance relationship for the two years following Matt’s graduation.  This time helped to strengthen our relationship even more.  Although people say marriage is never easy, I know our eight years together will help us overcome any future obstacles as husband and wife and I cannot wait to be the future Mrs. Jolissaint.

-Slgi

Slgi and I met early in our sophomore years at a party my fraternity was hosting at Georgia Tech.  I’d never so easily just been able to chat with a stranger.  We were immediately compatible and comfortable with each other.  The next month, or so, we met periodically and went for walks around campus.

I was told that it was time that I “make a move” by Slgi’s friends and my friends.  However, each time I tried to ask Slgi out on an official date there was always some other obligation she had planned.  Slgi either kept a very busy schedule or I was gently being rejected.  If you know Slgi then you know she does keep a busy schedule and, if she had been rejecting me there would have been nothing gentle about it.

In the fall, Slgi’s alma mater hosted a formal dance party called Black Cat.  Slgi eventually asked me if I wished to attend Black Cat as her guest and date.  For the prior week or two she had been asking questions like, “what are we, anyway?”  I was confused because I assumed we were dating at that point.  Long walks, lunches and dinners, and dates at a school dance all seemed the territory of a dating couple, but I was clearly missing something.  The topic came up again on the evening of the dance on October 7th.  In frustration I responded, “Fine!  Do you want to be my girlfriend!?!”  Slgi giddily said, “Yes!” and ran away to hop and scream in excitement with her girlfriends.  I stood nearby looking over in confusion and thinking, “that’s all I needed to do?”

All frustration and worries were over and from that day forward Slgi and I were officially a couple.  According to our friends, Slgi and I were a disgustingly cute couple with stupid nicknames and bad inside jokes.  We spent most of our time wandering around Atlanta, discovering restaurants, studying, hanging out with friends, going to movies, museums, concerts, plays, and operas, buying each other presents, and learning about each other’s cultures.

After college I moved to Beaumont, Texas while Slgi stayed in Atlanta, Georgia.  After a year Slgi moved to Kiev, Ukraine.  We were fortunate to have built such a strong foundation during our time in Atlanta because it allowed us to be able to effectively manage our long distance relationship.

-Matt

I already knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Slgi, but when I decided that I was ready to make it official I had the daunting task of finding an engagement ring and coming up with a proposal that would meet Slgi’s standards. Slgi was abroad in Kiev, Ukraine so we decided that it would be a good time to visit St. Petersburg since she was already most of the way there. I had also decided that this would be a beautiful city and memorable trip suitable for a proposal.

I booked a hotel and worked with the hotel staff to plan my proposal. The plan was to take a private boat ride on the Neva River and watch the bridges open up for the White Nights with a bottle of wine or champagne. The proposal was going to be on our first official full day together in St. Petersburg so the remaining week and trip home was going to be exceptionally awkward if she said, “no.”

We had tickets to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake at the Mariinsky Theater that evening. We were running behind and only had time to grab a quick snack before the ballet. The performance was beautiful and we both really enjoyed it. I knew Slgi didn’t want a very public proposal and she must have known that one was on the way because when I went to tie my shoes at the theater she jumped a little and looked nervous. (It’s true, I was super nervous. I really didn’t want him to do it at a public garden, museum, theater, or restaurant. My ideal proposal was something intimate and just between the two of us.)

After the show we went back to the hotel and chose to relax and order room service. Slgi was tired and wanted to call it a night but I insisted that we go out to watch the bridges open up for White Nights. (I was so exhausted because we had spent the entire day sightseeing and gallivanting around St. Petersburg. We also missed our dinner reservation so I was hungry and ready to just be in my PJs and sleep.) I snuck the ring box into my jacket and we headed out. It was a little chilly outside and it started to drizzle as we walked toward the river. Slgi was very tired and the weather added to her unhappiness, but her expression immediately changed when she saw the boat that was waiting for us. (I was SUPER grumpy. I feel bad that Matt had to convince me throughout the entire walk to the river. As soon as I saw the boat all I could think about was how Matt could have planned this event. I never knew that Matt Jolissaint could be this romantic!)

We went into the cabin of the boat to hide from the rain and looked out from the windows. We opened up the wine and toasted to our trip to Russia. I don’t remember exactly how I timed the actual proposal but I eventually made it down to my knees and recited my proposal. I’d written it out at home and memorized it on the airplane. I must have done well because Slgi began to cry and said, “Yes.” (Matt asked me in my first three languages!!! I was impressed and so thrilled. I forgot what he actually said but thanks to Matt being the perfectionist he is, he had written down what he was going to say and gave it to me after the proposal.)

Slgi definitely knew that a proposal was on the way because, after she was done crying, she surprised me with a card that celebrated her excitement at being my fiancé. (I had a feeling that St. Petersburg was where Matt was going to propose. I got ready in Kiev and wrote a long card to make sure I could give him the proper “yes.”) We kissed and hugged and wiped away our tears. The rain had let up by that point so we left the cabin to watch the bridges open up and see the colorfully lit up museums and palaces. It was a very beautiful scene and I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be or any other person I’d rather be with. (That night on the Neva was so beautiful and I will never forget the lovely proposal. I can’t wait to go back to celebrate one of our many anniversaries to come.)

 -Matt & (Slgi)