Our Story
Some stories begin slowly.
Ours began with a moment—and a feeling that refused to be ignored.
We met two years ago at a singles event. In a room full of people, drinks in hand and conversations flowing, we were the only two not drinking… and somehow, we still didn’t speak.
At the very beginning of the night, Kevin noticed Nadiya.
There was something about her—an elegance, a presence—that stood out immediately.
He remembers thinking, “I need to talk to her.”
But time passed. Conversations came and went. The night moved on.
And it wasn’t until the very end—when the event was nearly over—that he finally walked up and said:
“Hey… I haven’t talked to you yet.”
Then, skipping past the usual small talk:
“Let’s skip the boring ‘what do you do for work’ question—tell me something you’re passionate about.”
What came next changed everything.
Nadiya spoke about transformation—about growth, about a recent experience that had shifted the way she saw herself and the world. It was something deeply personal… and unexpectedly, something Kevin had experienced too.
In that moment, there was recognition.
Not just of shared interests—but of something deeper.
A sense that this connection mattered.
Their first date was at the Royal Ontario Museum.
What followed felt effortless.
Long walks along the lakeshore.
Coffee in Yorkville.
Quiet moments in gardens and parks.
Adventures that stretched from Toronto to Cuba to Costa Rica.
Very quickly, they became inseparable.
But there was one moment—unexpected, joyful, and completely unplanned—that made everything clear.
After a Heavy Metal Star Wars show at Lee’s Palace, they found themselves walking through Yorkville late at night.
Out of nowhere, Nadiya pulled out her lightsaber.
Right there, in the middle of an art garden, she began mock-dueling the lights — laughing, glowing with energy, completely lost in the moment.
That was it.
In that playful, uninhibited joy—in her smile, in her spirit—Kevin knew:
This is the person I want to spend my life with.
A year later, in the quiet beauty of Allan Gardens Conservatory, Kevin asked Nadiya to marry him.
She knew it was coming.
But what she didn’t expect… was how it would begin.
Kevin started speaking in Ukrainian.
For a moment, time stood still.
Nadiya gasped—completely caught off guard—and instantly, tears filled her eyes.
Before anything else was said, before the question was even asked, the meaning was already there.
It was love, expressed in her language.
It was effort, intention, and understanding.
It was a moment that belonged entirely to the two of them.
And then, with everything that moment carried—he asked her to marry him.
She said yes.
Soon after, they built a home together—along with their two cats, who are still working through their differences (and, thankfully, have shown only minimal interest in Kevin’s LEGO collection).
Their journey hasn’t just been about love—it’s been about growth, resilience, and shared understanding.
Both having lost their fathers, they carry with them a deep appreciation for family, and for the people who stand beside them now. On their wedding day, they will each walk down the aisle with their mothers—honouring both where they come from and the life they are building together.
And now, two years to the day from when they first met, they begin the next chapter.
Together.
