Andrew and Maya met in middle school band class and sat near each other as they developed their love and passion for music. As they interacted more over the years up to high school, they grew closer and found moments to bond over shared interests and hobbies and would nerd out about various interests in French class and Chemistry class. Andrew would even carry Maya around like a sling and give her piggy back rides right before Chemistry class! As they progressed to a new stage of their lives as college students at the same university (NC State University), they navigated young adulthood and independence together and became even closer as they spent more time learning about each other, exploring Raleigh's cuisine and events, and finding safety, joy, and comfort in each other's company. Between 2016 and 2017, Maya and Andrew both found themselves growing fonder of each other and waffled between nerves of risking awkwardness in their friendship or taking the step to progress their relationship further. Eventually on January 11th, 2017 Maya wound up finding the courage to ask Andrew if he would like to be in a relationship. As both Maya and Andrew's first romantic relationship, they spent many years growing together and learning from each other about how to be a better partner. There is a mountain of things that Maya and Andrew have learned from each other even after the many years of friendship, and they are immensely grateful to have found a life partner to learn and love in each other. When Andrew asked for Maya's hand in marriage shortly after she completed her graduate program, she accepted with no doubts in her mind that this was someone she could trust and love with all of her heart. After such a long and steady journey together, we are delighted to come together with our community of loved ones at the garden where we had some of our first dates to celebrate the next stage of our life together! We're looking forward to seeing you!