For many couples, a proposal is carefully planned around beautiful scenery or sentimental locations that are very Insta perfect. But for Elizabeth Reyes and Julián Blanco, their perfect place turned out to be not just somewhere sentimental, but somewhere deeply spiritual.
In fact the couple recently became engaged in Lisieux, France, at the Basilica of St. Thérèse, kneeling before the tombs of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse.
Their choice was not accidental. As they explained on their popular Instagram account, they have long felt close to the beloved Carmelite saint:
Throughout our history, Saint Teresita of the Child Jesus has been our friend and guide. It has helped us overcome challenges and build the dreams we initially saw too far."
They went on to share that "coming to her house to deliver this new stage of our life together is a gift from heaven,” explaining why Lisieux felt like the natural place to take the next step in their life together.
At the end of their post, the newly engaged couple had a simple, but powerful, request for all those who saw the video:
“We only ask that you pray for us.”
A love story rooted in another love story
The couple's engagement couldn't have got off to a better start with Louis and Zélie Martin as their witnesses. The pair is beloved throughout the Catholic world not just because they raised a famous saint, but because their own marriage became a model of holiness. In 2015 they were canonized together by Pope Francis, becoming the first married couple canonized together in the history of the Church.
Their story is refreshingly ordinary — which may be exactly why it resonates with so many couples today. Louis was a watchmaker. Zélie was a skilled lace maker who ran her own business. They worked hard, loved each other deeply, and raised their daughters in a home rooted in faith and kindness.
Their daughter Thérèse would later become one of the most beloved saints in the Church. But the quiet love and faith she learned at home were the soil in which her famous “Little Way” first grew. In other words, holiness began around the family table.
A reminder of what marriage can be
For many Catholics, Louis and Zélie represent something both encouraging and hopeful: the idea that sanctity doesn’t belong only to monasteries or heroic missionaries. It can grow in the middle of family life, in the everyday work of loving a spouse and raising children.
Their lives show that marriage itself can be a path to holiness — a way of helping each other, quite literally, get to heaven. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that couples who visit Lisieux often ask for their intercession.
A proposal with a prayer
Elizabeth and Julián’s proposal feels less like a dramatic gesture and more like a quiet prayer.
Standing before the tombs of two saints who lived the joys and trials of marriage long before them, they began their engagement by asking for something deeper than romance alone: guidance.
After all, every couple hopes their love will last. But asking saints who lived marriage so beautifully to walk alongside you? That might be one of the best ways to begin.
For the happy couple, and all engaged couples, they could take inspiration in the unique customs present at Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin's wedding in the slideshow below:
