Destiny's children

From cute aggression on playdates to falling hard for each other 15 years later, Tehreem Anwar and Abdul Shah prove that love always finds a way.

- SONAKSHI SHARMA

I have lived my life romanticising Old Lahore, simpler times and slowness,” says Tehreem Anwar. So when it came to planning her wedding mood board, the bride’s directive was clear: “saadgi aur pyaar,” or simplicity and love. After all, the beginnings of her romance with her future husband were complicated enough.

What started as two stubborn childhood friends who refused to share their toys on playdates took an unanticipated turn when Abdul Shah’s family immigrated to the USA when he was nine, leaving Anwar behind in Lahore. In many ways, their story ended before it even began. Call it destiny, or a universal intervention, but 15 years later they connected again thanks to Instagram. “Tehreem had just started modelling and one of our mutual friends posted photos of her shoot. I sent her an IG request, she slid into my DMs with a cat meme and the rest is history,” says Shah.

A whirlwind long-distance relationship ensued. Anwar was pursuing her master’s in applied anthropology from the University of Amsterdam while Shah was working as a tech consultant with PwC in the US. Late-night video calls and frequent trips between two continents culminated in a proposal beside one of Amsterdam’s famous canals.