We’re getting married!

Keith Elementary is where it all began. At just 11 years young, our little lovebird hearts were beating as one... just kidding. 😜 By the time we hit middle school, pint-sized Pavel was a popular kid taking advanced classes and mini Maddy was in her shy emo era. You never would have put the two together, but here we are over a decade later! Our true friendship started in high school during 10th grade AP U.S. History thanks to Mrs. Yakel's seating chart. There may not have been a lot of learning, but there was plenty of chatting and laughing (aka flirting) throughout the year. By junior year, we had the same friend group and ate lunch together; our crushes were in full swing. But dingus Pavel didn't ask Maddy to homecoming and she went with someone else! 😲 Luckily we both signed up for a German Club field trip to Chicago. Three days in the Windy City at Christmastime was all we needed to lock it in on Dec. 7, 2012. We're talking a long cozy bus ride, holiday magic in the air and true love's first kiss. We were inseparable for the remainder of high school. We packed up and headed to East Lansing for what would be an epic college and post-grad experience. We grew up and grew together through Michigan State tailgates and football games, meeting lifelong friends, attending plenty of parties and securing our degrees. East Lansing remained our home after college. Our journey included three apartments, a home purchase and massive renovation and finally a sale. We held multiple jobs, adopted our cat son Yeti and weathered some really hard times when Maddy’s dad passed away. Today, we're rocking new jobs (promotions!) and moved across the country to Hartford, Conn. But not before Pavel proposed in the beautiful Meijer Gardens! We're excited to celebrate our love with you in a town that means so much to us. And we look forward to many more wonderful years together.