Reema and Brandon initially crossed paths during a medical program in high school. They were in different social circles at the time and didn't start kindling any sparks at the time, but Brandon must have made quite the impression on Reema as they later crossed paths in college in the library. They briefly caught up through mutual friends and stayed in touch for the first few months of their freshman year. Reema ended up spending the summer in Sri Lanka and upon returning in the fall they ran into each other in the dining hall with Reema's friends encouraging her to invite the handsome lad to her birthday party. Brandon humbly accepted the invitation and from there things started to materialize. From studying together over mutual classes to having overlapping friend groups materialized into the beginning of a beautiful relationship and lifelong partnership. The two lovebirds had their first date with Brandon picking Reema up with a bouquet of Roses and having a nice meal at Sweetwaters on Church Street in Burlington, VT the spot of their first date. Their relationship continued to blossom as they continued to envision what a life together would look like and shared the same values (Reema's mom's cooking certainly helped sweeten things).

They went on to complete their bachelor's degrees from the University of Vermont with Reema transitioning to an accelerated Masters program in Clinical Dietetics in Grand Rapids, Michigan while Brandon accepted a job with the UVM Health Network's venture investments team. The future outlook looked bleak for a period of time given they were across the country from each other, but they stayed supportive and involved in each others lives. Upon Reema's return to Vermont after her program they were both able to reignite their initial love for each other. At this time Reema's parents were highly focused on ensuring their daughter could find a suitable partner as she was finished with her education. Brandon emerged as the sole and best suited victor and Reema was disinterested in entertaining anyone else given how much Brandon meant to her. They were starting to plan for a Nikah, which in Islam is a religious ceremony for a Muslim couple to be legally wed under Islamic law, and is when the couple officially says “I accept,” but as luck would have it Wuhan, China was brewing up a worldwide epidemic that would derail their plans.

*Enter COVID-19*

Given the circumstances and the state of the economy, Brandon made the decision to enroll in an MBA program in upstate New York through the University of Rochester. Given they were not able to have their Nikah ceremony, Brandon started this journey alone, but was determined to have Reema in his life and put on a masterclass of deception (with the help of Reema's sister Fathima). The master ploy consisted of Brandon surprising Reema in the capital city of New York to propose while her sister (Fathima) tricked Reema into believing she was going to a fancy event to which Reema, her sister-in-law and sister arrived and to Reema's surprise had a handsome lad waiting for her inside a spread of candles arranged in the shape of a heart with the letters "Marry Me" standing behind Brandon. All the while Brandon had convinced Reema he had a group project for MBA school so as you can imagine to say Reema was shocked at seeing him, let alone a beautiful proposal just highlights how much Reema means to Brandon and the levels he will go to make her feel incredibly special and loved.

After the proposal, they went on to have a small ceremony with friends and family at a beautiful mountaintop venue with sweeping views of the Adirondack Mountains. Reema and Brandon then went on to move in together after their Nikah ceremony with Reema joining Brandon in Rochester, NY. Here they started their marriage and built a community while becoming honorary members of the Bills Mafia. Upon graduating, they later moved to Boston, Massachusetts where they currently reside.