assaulted at a college party, resulting in
a severe brain injury. Lindsay and Florent
had a serious conversation about their
relationship and whether they were ready to
face such a grave matter together. “It was
a very awkward, a very weird conversation
to have that early,” Lindsay says. “But I
think it really de;ned how much we were
connected right away.” Florent was a great
source of strength for Lindsay during her
brother’s recovery, which is ongoing. Since
the incident in 2014, Jackie has re-enrolled
at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
and lives on his own. He attended the
couple’s wedding.
THE PROPOSAL: In the summer of 2016,
about three years after they ;rst met, the
couple visited Florent’s family in Concarneau,
France. It was Lindsay’s ;rst time abroad
and her ;rst time meeting his extended
family. Florent suggested they have a picnic
on the beach despite the breezy weather.
He had packed a basket of charcuterie and
Champagne and slipped the engagement
ring into his pocket. Since their vacation was P H O
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A French-American Winston Churchill grad married
a Pennsylvania native on the Chesapeake Bay
Language of Love
THE COUPLE: Florent Abaziou, 31, was
born in Lannion, France. His family moved
to Raleigh, North Carolina, and lived there
for seven years before moving to Potomac
when Florent was in elementary school.
He graduated from Winston Churchill
High School and works in search engine
optimization for Marriott International in
Bethesda. Lindsay Abaziou (maiden name
Lithgow), 29, grew up in Mechanicsburg,
Pennsylvania, and moved to the D.C. area
after college. She worked for Bethesda
Magazine for two years in marketing
and web production, and is now a digital
analytics specialist for TD Ameritrade in
Columbia. They live in Silver Spring.
HOW THEY MET: Florent and Lindsay
;rst spied each other in the summer of
2013 at Black;nn in Bethesda (now closed)
where they were each at happy hour with
friends. Connected by a mutual friend, the
groups merged tables. Although Lindsay
and Florent were immediately interested
in each other, she ended up talking to
Florent’s friend about football the whole
time. Both were disappointed by the missed
connection. “In my defense, football really
wasn’t my thing. Still isn’t,” Florent says.
THE FIRST DATE: After running
into each other at more happy hours
and networking events, Lindsay was
determined to spend some time alone
with Florent. She was transitioning to a
new role at Bethesda Magazine and asked
him out to dinner under the pretext that
she wanted professional advice. “I tried
to pass it off like it was an informational
business dinner,” she says. “But he knew
it was a date.” They had dinner at Circa in
Clarendon. Each wished the date would
never end. “It always sounds cheesy
because I’ve never been the girl that would
say that, but it didn’t feel like any other
date that I’ve been on,” she says. “I called
my mom and was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I’m in
trouble!’ ”
A DEFINING MOMENT: Just two
months after the couple started dating,
Lindsay’s brother, Jackie Lithgow, was
