Rachita grew up in India, spending much of her childhood in Delhi before the Chugh family made the big move to Canada in 2007. After five years in Fort McMurray, they settled in Edmonton, where Rachita completed high school and university (and, more importantly, met Aly Khan!) Being a big-city girl at heart, she eventually left Edmonton for Toronto, where she now works in Consulting at Deloitte.
A few of Rach's favorite things:
Her dogs, Rio & Ladoo
Starting the day with the perfect cup of coffee
Curling up with a good book (any book, as long as there’s a cozy corner to read it in)
Her mum’s food (Mom, you’re the best – thank you for spoiling me!)
Playing tourist in her city
Aly Khan was born in Ottawa, Canada but spent most of his childhood in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He's the eldest of three brothers (Arman and Amilio round out the trio). Aly’s first language is French—something many people don’t know! To this day, he still chats with his dad in French.
Aly’s childhood was filled with soccer, traveling the world with his family, and soaking up new cultures—he’s visited nearly 30 countries so far. At 18, he returned to Canada for university, starting in Vancouver and eventually settling in Edmonton, where he completed his degrees and met Rachita.
Now based in Toronto, Aly works in finance by day and is a talented home cook by night—he loves experimenting in the kitchen almost as much as he loves trying out new restaurants. He's also a sports enthusiast, often found playing soccer, cheering on his favorite teams, or at the gym. (Fun fact: Aly was at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa).
Aly's parents are still in the Congo, while Amilio is in Montreal, and Arman is in Edmonton. Despite being so far from family, he prioritizes staying connected by taking two family trips a year—a tradition that keeps their bond strong no matter the distance.
It was my first day of university, and I nervously walked into my very first lecture: Political Science 101. I found a seat toward the back of the hall, and after about 10-15 minutes into class...a guy walked in late, scanned the room, and chose the empty seat next to me. That guy was Aly.
Our professor kicked off the lecture with icebreakers, asking each student to share an interesting fact about themselves and a current world event. When it was Aly's turn, he confidently introduced himself as "Aly Khan" and shared that he was from the Congo. His world event was also related to Africa.
Sitting there, I was completely convinced he was making it all up. I thought it was odd that he introduced himself with both his first and last name (he hadn't—his last name is Merali), and I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of a brown guy being from Congo of all places. I knew there were plenty of South Asians in other parts of Africa, but Congo just seemed so unlikely.
After the lecture ended, I pulled him aside —and with absolutely no tact —accused him of lying. Aly was shocked and was probably wondering who this audacious stranger was, but he patiently explained that he was from Congo (and his family had been there for years), and how he'd only moved to Canada a few years prior. For whatever reason, he entertained my silly questions, and instead of scaring him off with my interrogation...I think I just made him laugh.
From that unlikely start, we began sitting next to each other in every lecture. We became fast friends, then study buddies for midterms and finals, and quickly realized this may be more than a friendship!
Looking back, I still can't believe he put up with my questioning, but I'm so glad he did. And the rest, as they say, is history!
During a trip to Europe in June with my parents, Aly finally popped the Big Q!
Although he initially planned to propose in Nice (one of our first stops on the trip), those plans were put on hold when I fell sick. Without missing a beat, he decided to wait for the right moment, eventually choosing Florence —a city that holds a special place in our hearts.
Once we got to Florence, the four of us hiked up to Piazza Michelangelo, a breathtaking viewpoint overlooking Florence. We'd been here once before during our trip in 2022, and we wanted my parents to experience it as well. When we arrived, Aly disappeared briefly before returning to ask if I wanted to take some pictures with him.
Suddenly, a photographer appeared, and I started to piece it all together. As she guided us through the session, Aly dropped to one knee. We hardly remember what was said, because we were both overwhelmed with emotion and happy tears. After 10 years together, it was a dream come true to share this milestone with our parents.
We celebrated by calling Aly's parents and Saakshi (our best friend), and spent the rest of our trip basking in the joy of our engagement. It was a moment we'll both cherish, always.