"I Do”

We had an intimate ceremony that was filmed and will be shared with you all for a "Zoom Wedding" on February 21st 2021. You are all so important to us and we wish we could have seen your beautiful faces on our special day. However, most importantly we wanted everyone to stay safe during these rough times, so with that in mind we decided to keep our wedding small and do separate video calls with groups of our family and friends. We cannot wait to share our special day with you over a family and friends Zoom Call! See you there! XOXO Maya & Michael

As the story goes, Michael had his eye on me since the summer of 2015. He recalled meeting me at the Annual July 4th Bash that Tatiana, Chuck and friends put on every year. Truthfully, I had no recollection of meeting him there. Lucky for him he had proof! He showed me the group photo that was taken of the 100+ friends who had gathered that day, and sure enough, he was in it!   A year later, we met at a party of a mutual friend. He introduced himself and his eyes twinkled, they reminded me of sweet puppy dog. I was taken by his ideas, his gentle nature and sense of humor. We talked for hours, danced, and laughed the night away. In my heart, I felt excited to have met someone so sweet, playful and who I got along with so well. The attraction was strong for both of us and from that moment on we have built a strong friendship and we have become inseparable.

Somehow I convinced Maya to wake up at 7:00 AM on New Year's Day for a sunrise hike. This followed an astonishing midnight firework display over Edinburgh Castle and many many many drinks. Come on, it was New Year's while on vacation in Scotland. For Maya, waking up that morning was a struggle. For me, I barely slept and popped right out of bed. She thought I was crazy. Fortunate for my plan I was able to get her bundled up and out the door on time. We started the hike to the top of King Arthur's Seat and that is when the doubt started to fill my head. The trail was very muddy, steeper than expected and full of people. My whole plan was to be somewhere majestic and private, not a great start. This made me question the entire plan. Did I just spend the last couple months planning only to fail at the execution? Finally we made the top of the trail. It was very windy and very crowded. Not romantic at all. Then below I spotted a beautiful private grassy area over looking a lake. With a quick detour and some photos later, I knew it was time to make my move. It was also at this moment that all my preparation, rehearsal and confidence went out the door. As those closest to me can attest, typically I am a great public speaker. I have given whole speeches to large groups with only a few bullet points on note cards and never stumbled or forgot a line. This was not one of those moments. I dropped to my knee and reached into my pocket. Maya's first reaction was complete shock. Her eyes grew large and intense as she stared at me. As I froze, the only question on my mind was is this good shock or bad. At this point the first words that came out of my mouth were very jumbled and I'm pretty sure I stuttered a few times. Sure Maya will laugh at this for years to come. Finally I got my words out. I professed my love to Maya and asked her to spend the rest of her life with me. Of course she agreed!

I had bought the ring months prior. Convinced her my sister was getting engaged which was not happening on this trip. (No woman wants to share spotlight) Spoke to both of her parents privately about my plan and our future. Deliane definitely put me through the ringer. Hid the ring in my carry on and hope the TSA wouldn't open it in front of her. Planned this whole hike for this specific moment. All of this without her having a clue. To see the tears of happiness in her eyes was instant reassurance. Those sleepless nights wondering how I could pull it off or if I could keep the secret any longer all became worth it. To spend the next week with my loving fiancé has and will forever remain the the best week of my life!