Having the fortune of being next door neighbors in college, Courtney and Vlad quickly became friends and soon enough there was a romantic spark. On December 1, 2014, Vlad officially asked Courtney to be his girlfriend by pulling out roses from the closet at precisely midnight. There would be no forgetting this dating anniversary! After finishing college and graduating into adults, they moved to Florida to start a new life with two cats – the rest is history!

Vlad surprised Courtney with a boat ride in downtown Tampa. As they were enjoying the water and the pretty skyline, Vlad asked Courtney to marry him. He took out a small scroll with a poem written on it. Of course she said yes! Afterwards, Vlad took Courtney to Ulele, the restaurant where they went to on their 2nd anniversary and said "I love you" for the first time. Courtney thought it was funny, intimate, and so perfect. Vladimir did such a great job!

In some Slavic cultures, it is common to have masculine and feminine forms of last names. The masculine version in this case is Dakev, with a feminine equivalent of Dakeva. To continue on with the tradition, Courtney will be changing her name after the wedding to Courtney Dakeva. However, together they will be Mr. and Mrs. Dakev!

11815 Skylake Place Tampa, Florida 33617