Aruba and Salman first met in medical school in Las Vegas, Nevada. On Aruba’s first day of medical school, as she was exploring the lunch room, she was disheartened that the microwave was broken, and was left with an empty stomach. Salman couldn’t help but see a distressed Aruba catch his eye, and felt it only right to help her in a time of need. Legend has it, Salman strolled over to the microwave, gave it one big whack that the Fonz would be proud of, and it was all fixed. The two fated lovers proceeded to get to know each other over lunch as the whole room fittingly sang “Happy Days”.
Salman had been planning the proposal for months in secret, even taking a trip to California to ask Aruba’s parents for their blessing to ask their daughter for her hand in marriage. Knowing that Aruba loves cherry blossoms, Salman planned to take her to Descanso Gardens where the trees were in full bloom. On the morning of the big day, Aruba’s friend Masooma acted as a diversion by taking her to brunch. When Aruba arrives at the gardens, Salman takes her to a hill full of tulips, where he got down on one knee in front of a cheering crowd of strangers that had gathered to watch the event. Salman gave his speech, Aruba cried, and the rest is history.