We are so excited to celebrate our big day with you!

We met during a get together of mutual friends at the Boardwalk Bowl in Santa Cruz. It was a quick introduction, but little did we know at that moment it would have such a great impact on our lives. After our initial meeting, we started studying together at the Campus Libraries at UC Santa Cruz. What started out as just a few study sessions became a daily routine. We started to develop a close friendship. While we knew how to work hard, we also knew how to let loose and have some fun. From late night stargazing and walks on the beach to dancing and partying on the weekends, we started spending more time together. We became inseparable. Even though there was a strong attraction brewing between us, we did not want to jeopardize the wonderful friendship we developed. As we continued to push each other mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, there was a force greater than ourselves pushing us closer. When we could no longer ignore that force and the attraction between us, we finally started dating. Fast-forward almost 10 years and many great memories later, we are about to embark on the next phase of this wonderful journey together.

The scene starts in Las Vegas at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. On a whim, we decided to take a quick weekend trip to decompress. It had been a stressful period at work for the both of us and a weekend getaway is just what we needed. Unbeknownst to Olya, a previous attempt to perform the proposal was unfortunately cancelled due to untimely changes to her work schedule. Cassim brought the ring to Las Vegas knowing that he wanted to pop the question there, just not knowing how. Various attempts to make plans without Olya's knowledge kept falling through. Trying to get reservations at Lago Restaurant was the plan as they could sit on the balcony and watch the famous Bellagio Fountain Show up close. It would be the perfect place to ask the question. Unfortunately, the patio was rented out for a private party. Feeling defeated but still optimistic, Cassim placed the ring in his pocket. If they could time the show right, he could still propose during the Fountain Show from the Strip. That never happened. We became so hungry that we ended up looking for food in the hotel. We finally settled on an intimate booth at Fix Restaurant and Bar in the Bellagio. We sat down and ate a delicious meal. After the meal, we were finishing some drinks and started conversing about proposals. Olya mentioned that she thought that the proposal was already going to happen in Vegas, not knowing what had already transpired with the planning. It was at that moment that Cassim figured why not use the opportunity to surprise Olya. The ring was pulled out of the pocket and the question was popped right as our waitress had approached the table. It is one of the few times anyone could actually say Olya was speechless (A rare moment indeed). As the ring was placed on Olya's finger, our waitress came back to the table with celebratory champagne and offered us congratulations. We spent the rest of the evening notifying friends and family and enjoyed some gambling as a newly engaged couple.