It's the classic forbidden love story. Just kidding. Nolan went to Chaska High School and Ava went to Chanhassen High School. We have some friends in common from both of those schools from our time on the speech team and theater.

Our wonderful friends in common put together an end of the school year party in 2017. Looking for a breath of fresh air, both of us found ourselves sitting on a swing set under a bunch of stars. We started chatting, and haven’t stopped! What a great way to kick off a love story. (I had actually seen him in 2015 in Chaska’s production of The Great Gatsby and told all my friends that the guy that played Nick was super cute -Ava)

After some messaging, and Nolan attending some of Ava's performances at the 318 Cafe, Nolan's phone broke and Ava considered herself ghosted. Thankfully, a friend stepped in and set the record straight and the first date was set. We met up in Excelsior, Nolan with a new phone in hand, and found this alcove on the water where we talked about everything under the sun, and we were off to the races.

A show attended by Nolan before our first date

Prom, 2018 (Note: those gorgeous prom flowers were done by our to-be wedding florists, our family friends Barbarajo and Kate!)

We ended up getting so lucky. We independently decided to go to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and even ended up in the same apartment building for a few years. We swear we didn’t make those choices because of each other, but it did sweeten the deal for sure. We have so many amazing friends, from college and before, that make up the most incredible group of people.

Go Gophs



We both graduated and moved into a house in Excelsior. Ava works at Ewald Consulting with amazing coworkers (even those she’s related to!) and Nolan works at Bobcat corporate on their marketing team and goofs around driving the machines. Off duty, we’re often found biking, running, climbing, and wrangling our puppy, Winnie, on the streets of Excelsior. Noticing a location theme here?




 

Another favorite place, Taylor's Falls!

On June 29, 2023, Nolan took Ava back to that little alcove in Excelsior where the very first date took place and asked her to marry him (she said yes). We want to thank all of our family who contributed to one of the most beautiful days of our lives.

We are so grateful for all you wonderful friends and family for supporting us, celebrating with us, and making our lives so full of love and joy!

See you May 24, 2024!

Ava and Nolan