When Chantal Melanson and Austin Monfort first traveled to Las Vegas in September 2017, it was for their love of country music. The two were traveling from Canada and California, respectively, to the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas. They didn't know each other at the time, but by the end of that fateful weekend, they were linked for life.
The two met in a country bar on the night of September 30. Austin was attracted to Chantal from the beginning, but she gave him a bit of a hard time. Still, the two enjoyed each other's company and exchanged numbers. They made plans to catch some of the next night's final performances together.
It was during that Jason Aldean set on October 1 that everything changed. As shots were fired into the crowd of 22,000 people, Austin was determined to keep himself and Chantal safe. They escaped the grizzly scene and got into a cab with a wounded attendee. The three went to the hospital, where they would spend the night. The next morning, Chantal and Austin went their separate ways back home. Little did they know that out of one of the most terrifying experiences of their lives would come one of the most beautiful.
Chantal Melanson and Austin Monfort have a truly one-of-a-kind love story. In late September 2017, the two met after both traveling to Las Vegas for the Route 91 Harvest country music festival. Chantal was a country music lover from Canada, while Austin resided in California.
"After I got over him not wearing cowboy boots [laughs], I thought he was really nice, handsome and tall," she says.
"He was so easy to talk to, it felt like we knew each other forever."
After hitting it off, the two decided to meet up the next night.
On the night of October 1, Chantal and Austin were enjoying time together when shots were fired into the crowd from the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel.
"We were just listening to music having a good time," Austin recalled. "Until we realized that the noises weren’t fireworks, they were gunshots."
"Then it became, 'Am I going to survive this, how much longer until police can make it stop, and how do we get out of here?'" Austin said.
"I thought it was fireworks at the beginning," Chantal added. "When I realized what was happening, I started panicking."
Austin immediately felt the need to get himself and Chantal out of the situation and to safety. "I felt a sense of responsibility for Chantal," he said.
"She was with me and not her friends. I felt like not only did I have to get myself out, but also her. Keeping her calm and getting her out kept me calm, and didn’t allow me to panic."
They'd only known each other for 24 hours, but they were fighting for their lives together. "I remember laying on the ground just looking into Austin’s eyes, trying to make sense of everything," Chantal said.
"Next thing I knew, Austin was holding my hand and we were running through the entire grounds trying to make it to safety."
The morning after the terrifying experience, the two went their separate ways. They kept in contact, however, and six weeks later, Austin flew to Canada to see Chantal. They spent a week together as their friendship blossomed into something more. They decided to give a long-distance relationship a shot.
They haven't gone more than four weeks without seeing each other in their whole relationship. In March 2019, Austin proposed. They awaited visa approval as Chantal prepared for a move to the US. The couple got married in a San Diego courthouse on November 1, 2019.
They planned for a traditional celebration in May with family and friends in the place it all began, Las Vegas. In late March, they made the decision to postpone the event due to the coronavirus. The couple isn't sure when they'll be able to have a large celebration, but they're happy to have each other after all they've been through.
"I felt safe with him — I didn’t want to leave his side," Chantal says of that October night. "In many ways, he did save my life."
As they push forward to whatever life has in store for them, they are happy to have found love in the midst of unspeakable tragedy.
