Atlanta couple found after Frenchman finds their 'message in a bottle' in France

Image 1 of 10

Credit: Phillippe Leclercq

A heartwarming story connecting Atlanta to France involves Philippe Leclercq, who recently discovered a 'message in a bottle' washed ashore at Cap Ferret in Southern France. The message read "Ben & Julie Forever."

Amazingly, Philippe just reached the happy couple by phone on Saturday, February 27. "We were at our daughter's birthday party and Ben received a strange text message with an international number.  We decided to text back and Philippe texted that he found our bottle on the beach and we were stunned and floored," said Julie Johnson.

Ben and Julie Johnson took a Carnival Cruise to celebrate their engagement in 2012.  The couple were on the back deck of the ship when Ben wrote the note. "I am going to put this note in a bottle and see if someone finds it," said Ben to Julie. Ben put a one dollar bill in the bottle, corked it and threw the bottle off the back of the ship.

"It was really neat to see the photos after four years," said Juile.  The couple texted back and forth with Philippe about the bottle.  "We played the lotto last night with the numbers on the date we sent the note, our wedding date and our daughter's birthday." The couple did not hit any of the numbers, but had to play due to the nature of the entire days events.  The couple married in May 2014.

FOX 5 photographer Matt Stringer knows the couple.  Stringer met the couple a few years ago through mutual friends.  “Ben, Julie and I have been friends for about 5 years and now I get to interview them,” said Stringer.  “My friends reached out to me about this crazy story about a message in a bottle having to do with Ben and Julie…I was floored.”

Stringer is on his way to Ben and Julie's home and we will continue to update this amazing story!