Chakib came to NY from Paris on a one-year work visa. We met on hinge three months after he arrived. Our first date was at a french wine bar in Brooklyn where we spoke in a mix of French and English. Chakib and I talked and laughed all night and haven't stopped since. When his year was concluding, he extended his visa to stay in the states with me. That one year has turned into 3 and we are now planning a wedding!

The first time we spent the night together, Chakib turned to me and said "Hello you." I misheard because of his French accent so I thought he had said "I love you." We had only been dating for a few weeks and I completely freaked out. He didn't understand why I was panicking and I didn't understand why he was so calm. We quickly realized we were talking about two different things. Three years later we are still laughing about it and now when he says "Hello you" I know he's saying I love you.

$20,000 would help us host our dream wedding. His friends and family are in France, Italy, and Morocco and mine are in the United States and Canada. We want to support and thank our friends and family who will have to travel for our wedding. Our friends and family have been our biggest advocates and support throughout the immigration process. The money would also help us pay off remaining medical debt from emergency surgeries earlier this year.