...in 2010, Zaheeda, who was serving as the HR Administrative Assistant for the World Partnership Walk, got asked to fill in at a meeting last minute for the HR Administrator. This meeting happened to be on the same night as a LA Lakers' game. As she was stating her disappointment in not being able to watch the game to a friend, Shehzad walked by and commented that he was tracking the game on his phone offering the seat next to him. Here they sat in silence barely saying a word to each other. When the meeting ended, Zaheeda thanked Shehzad and they went on their separate ways. Little did they know what the future held.
Approximately six months later, Zaheeda attended Richmond JK (mosque) for her friend's grandfather's funeral. Following the religious ceremonies, her friend asked if she was going to come over for food. Out of curiosity, she asked him who was invited to which he responded "Iunno everyone?" Given her outgoing and joking nature, she turned to the the random guy standing behind her and asked "Are you coming?" not knowing that Shehzad and her friend had grown up together. Shehzad, never being one to say no to food, happily accepted the invite. While driving to their friend's house, Shehzad reportedly texted their friend to ask for the name of the girl who had invited him.
During dinner, Shehzad approached Zaheeda and began a conversation. Realizing they had a lot in common, the two exchanged their contact information. Slowly, a friendship formed. A few months later, Shehzad asked Zaheeda out on their first date. However, it was not until their third date did Shehzad realize he had met Zaheeda before...
In September 2014, Zaheeda moved to Chicago for graduate school resulting in them pursuing a long distance relationship. As they say, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" which rang true for Shehzad who decided that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Zaheeda. He began making plans to propose with the help of Aliza, Zaheeda's younger sister. Knowing that Zaheeda would be coming home in the summer and her LOVE for Disney, they planned a surprise visit to Disneyland for July 2015. When the time came, they told Zaheeda to pack a bag for somewhere warm and to make sure she had a good pair of walking shoes.
The day came and you can only imagine Zaheeda's excitement when she realized their destination (was probably equivalent to that of a three-year-old). Upon entering the park the next day, Shehzad informed Zaheeda that he had one more surprise. As part of their vacation package, they were given a (photo shopped) voucher for a free caricature drawing which he had already booked. Lucky for Shehzad, the pure glitz and magic of Disney distracted Zaheeda until the time of their appointment. Unknowing to her, Aliza had called in advance to let the staff know they were on their way so they could prepare for the proposal. An hour later, the artist informed Zaheeda and Shehzad that the picture was done and asked if they would like to have a look. As Zaheeda went to see the picture, Shehzad got down on one knee and proposed! Zaheeda was in absolute shock and was at a loss for words (which for those of you who know her, doesn't happen very often).
A couple of years later, Shehzad moved to Chicago to be with Zaheeda and pursue graduate school himself. Zaheeda then moved to Portland in 2018 to complete her internship before Shehzad joined her. Here they decided to begin their new careers and settle down.
While this princess was ready to marry her "Prince" three degrees and three cities later, COVID-19 had other plans in place resulting in them having to postpone their initial plans.
On August 1, 2021, Zaheeda finally wed Shehzad with their closest friends and family present at the Rose Garden in Vancouver, BC.
A year later, they are looking forward to celebrating their wedding/one year anniversary with all of their friends and family!