Woman Marries The Man Who Saved Her Life During Las Vegas Shooting

April 15, 2020

A woman who was at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas has married the man who saved her life on that terrifying night.

woman and man marry las vegas shooting
Chantal and Austin

Chantal Melanson met Austin Monfort just hours before the mass shooting.

"This picture has so much meaning behind it, we were strangers, I decided we needed a picture, less an a hour later we were in a mass shooting. I'm so blessed that Austin walked into my life when he did," Melanson wrote on Instagram.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This picture has so much meaning behind it, we were strangers, I decided we needed a picture, less an a hour later we were in a mass shooting. I’m so blessed that Austin walked into my life when he did. _________ October 1st 2017. Woke up, got ready and then headed to the last day of Route 91 festival. I went by myself while my friends went shopping for a bit. Austin who I had met the previous night met up with me. We tried to go as close to the stage as we could for Jason Aldean. . The rest is a blur. Bullets we’re flying and we were all trying to get out of there alive. I’m so thankful that Austin never left my side that night. He’s my hero. He kept me calm, took my hand and told me we were running to safety while bullets raining down. . He’s from California and me Canada. Little did I know this was just the beginning of our story! 2 years later, lots of traveling we are engaged, I’m moving to California and we are planning a wedding. . . . . . #honor58 #route91harvest #route91strong #route91survivor #vegasstrong #countrystrong #route91 #route91survivors #route91family #route91harvestfestival #countrylove #lovewins #lasvegasstrong #faith #soulmate #myhero #countrymusic #bloggersunder5k #lasvegasshooting #prayforvegas #58emptybarstools #californiablogger #sandiegoblogger #doublepost

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Melanson went to the festival after a friend offered her an extra ticket. Monfort introduced himself and the pair soon realized there was a spark.

An hour after they snapped a photo together, the gunman opened fire on the crowd.

"Everyone ran in different directions but Austin stayed with me and we ran together. We ran across the entire festival grounds stopping a few times to get shelter," Melanson said.

"Austin never left my side that night. He's my hero. He kept me calm, took my hand and told me we were running to safety while bullets raining down."

The couple escaped unharmed, but parted ways the next day, with Monfort flying home to California and Melanson back to Canada.

But they FaceTimed each other every day -- and fell in love.

"He was the only person I wanted to talk to. It just felt so right and safe talking to him after what we went through. He told me he would come visit me in Canada," Melanson said. "Six weeks later he made his promise! And we never spent more than six weeks apart, either me going to California or him Canada."

Monfort proposed 18 months later.

The couple legally married in November but have been planning a big wedding in Las Vegas. However, the Coronavirus has postponed their May wedding plans.

"We are trying not to panic as our big wedding in Las Vegas is approaching and the coronavirus news is not getting any better," Melanson wrote on Instagram on March 12.

The couple plans to rearrange their wedding party and celebrate their remarkable love story when the lockdown is over.