Max and Madie knew each other back in high school but never really interacted. Max loves to joke that he “never thought twice about Madie” because she was the nerdy type in school. Meanwhile, Madie was so caught up in her own world that she doesn’t even remember that Max gave a speech at their graduation! They later discovered they had plenty of shared memories from school—just from very different perspectives. One time, Madie recalled getting hit in the eye with a water balloon launched from a military-grade slingshot. Max’s immediate response was: “THAT WAS YOU?!” After graduation, their paths didn’t cross for several years. The first time Madie saw Max again was at Laurentide, a place that would later hold so much meaning in their story. After a quick hello, they went on with their nights, completely unaware of what was ahead. A few months later, they matched online—by chance and almost by accident. Madie had set her dating location to Geneva to avoid classmates from both Penn Yan and Seneca Falls. Max just so happened to be living in Geneva at the time, only days away from moving back to Penn Yan. If it weren’t for that brief overlap, they may have missed each other completely. From their very first conversations, sparks were flying. When Max asked for Madie’s number and texted her, it popped up as “Max Race” because he was already in her contacts—probably from some long-forgotten school project. Who knew love was hiding in her phone all along? From the beginning, their relationship was serious. After their very first date, Madie came home and told her parents that she had just met the man she was going to marry. Max wasn’t quite as fast to jump to the conclusion, but he wasn’t far behind. Max was skeptical at first when he met Madie’s little guinea pig, Stella, but it didn’t take long for him to be enchanted by her tiny squeaks and loving heart. By February 2023, their family grew even bigger when they adopted their sweet boy, Banks—officially becoming a family of four. With Stella and Banks by their side, their little family felt complete, and their love grew even deeper. That fall, they moved into their first apartment together in Phelps—a year that helped their love blossom even more. After overcoming many hurdles (and a lot of water damage), they finally moved into their forever home in October 2024. 2024 truly was their “big year.” Through devastating family loss, the challenge of buying a home, Madie graduating with her doctorate, and both of them starting new careers in early 2025—they leaned on each other every step of the way. And in the middle of it all, Laurentide came back into their story—this time as the place where Max asked Madie to marry him. What began as a chance reconnection a few years earlier became the backdrop for the start of their forever. Now, Max and Madie can’t wait to celebrate with you. An invitation to their day means that you hold a special place in their story, and they couldn’t be more excited to see you out on the dance floor!

The proposal happened in the most fitting place possible: Laurentide—their spot in Penn Yan, the place where their story quietly began years earlier. Madie went into the day with absolutely no suspicions… until Max started acting, well, weird. The night before, her friends invited her to a girls’ night and Maddie (bridesmaid) casually suggested they “dress cute,” which is normally the fastest way to make Madie suspicious. Then Max—who is typically the most easygoing person alive—suddenly became deeply invested in Madie’s outfit choices and evening plans. By the next morning, Madie was officially on alert. Things escalated when she checked Max’s location during lunch (as any loving partner would, of course), and it was turned off. Madie's first reaction was to call her mom, Jen, who then had to scramble to throw Madie off. Meanwhile Max and his buddies were running an underground tech operation hacking his phone so it looked like he was actually in Ithaca. He even called Madie "on his drive home," fake road-raging into the phone like he was driving his truck - Madie knew this was a farse. By the time she got to girl's night at Outlet 111, she fully expected Max to jump out and propose. When he didn’t, she convinced herself she was just dramatic and imagining things. Her friends surprised her with a small birthday celebration, so dressing up finally made sense. Then Maddie got a text saying Laurentide was specially open to host puppies from the humane society for a fundraiser. Maddie wanted a puppy, Grace (bridesmaid) wanted to pet a puppy—everyone was thrilled. What Madie didn’t know was that Max had made the entire flyer in Photoshop and had it delivered to her friends at the right moment. So off they went, blissfully unaware, to go “see puppies.” When they walked into the garden at Laurentide, Madie saw Max standing there. The Lumineers blasting through the speakers and the whole space was beautifully decorated. Both of their families and closest friends were tucked quietly out of sight. Max spoke to Madie for a moment, then called over their sweet boy Banks—who trotted over with the ring tied to his collar like. Max proposed, Madie said yes through happy tears, and then they slow danced to a Hozier song he had picked just for them. The rest of the night was full of hugs, drinks, and pizza—exactly their kind of celebration. The same place where they unknowingly reconnected years earlier became the place where they began the next chapter of their lives, surrounded by the people who mean the most to them.