The day after laughing, having playful banter, and introducing themselves in an adult-only voice chat, Ivan slid into Nya's DMs on Discord and started the conversation that would never end.

She may have started warming up to him a few days later.

After nearly a year of chatting online and over the phone, Ivan finally flew Nya out to Pittsburgh for a fun weekend of first dates! Their very first stop was IHOP, of course. Spoiler alert: They both passed the no-catfish test with flying colors!

They kept chatting every single day after that, playing games together, helping each other through the hard adulting moments, thinking and praying about their future, and it wasn't long before their families were excited to finally meet the incredible person bringing so much joy into their lives!

So, Ivan joined the Fedricks in Jamaica to celebrate Nya's mom's birthday. Because why not, right! (Don't worry, he was indeed invited by the woman of honor herself)

And in turn, Nya joined Ivan's family for celebrations of life... artistic talent (as his sister Sadie traveled for dance)....

They attended her premiere for Green Ivory together

And his brother's wedding celebration... (a time was definitely had this night)

All leading up to.....

This beautiful moment that happened after a wonderful day of spending time with friends. Nervous, Ivan got down on one knee and confessed to having the ring the entire week they spent together and that he was waiting for the perfect time to give it to her. We are still sad we have no pictures of this moment.

This photo was taken on one of Nya's trips to California for auditions just a few weeks after Ivan proposed. She was waiting for a friend while reminiscing over the answered prayers she was now sitting in, thanking God for literally everything.

The couple beat long distance just after celebrating Nya's 24th birthday. They packed up her and her best friend's car and took the whole 8-hour drive from Connecticut to West Virginia.

They spent 2025 not only planning this wedding, but also continuing to support each other while they each chased their dreams! By the time we are all in ome room celebrating, Ivan will have applied for med school and taken the MCAT, and Nya will be thriving as a medical assistant and have done a couple of staged readings for well-known writers.