Both Madeline and Akil attended the University of Maryland. Madeline was just a freshman when she was introduced to then-sophmore Akil by mutual friends at a party. They spent the next year “courting” until they decided to make things official and become a couple on April 12, 2012. And the rest was history!

Over the course of their relationship, Madeline and Akil always mused about taking a trip to Italy to drink, eat and fully partake in “la dolce vita”. In October 2019, they turned dreams into action and planned a 10 day trip exploring the northern part of the country to Florence, Venice, Milan, and Lake Como. In the land of idyllic villas and sprawling mountains of Lake Como, Akil planned to surprise Madeline with the most important question of her life. But before their trip, Akil had one more obstacle: holding onto the ring! He spent the week before their trip in London, Paris and Munich with friends. Travelling all across Europe with a very delicate piece of jewelry (hidden in a false bottom compartment of his toiletry bag, of course!), he finally met Madeline in Italy after a long week apart. They spent the next few days taking long walks along the Ponte Vecchio, sharing romantic gondola rides, and becoming connoisseurs of Chianti Classico. On the first morning of their stay in Lake Como, he organized a private boat tour of the lake where the couple could take in the breathtaking views while sipping prosecco. Along the way, the boat stopped at the beautiful Villa Balbinello for some sightseeing. Akil dragged (yes, dragged) Madeline up the hill to the top of the estate, promising the best spot to take a photo. They finally reached the top, and was it worth it. Under the vined arches of the villa and with all of the splendor of the lake before them, Akil got down on one knee and proposed and she said yaaas!