From Far Apart to Forever Together

Arsh Hazrah and Kelli McCord’s love story

WORDS BY MYAH JUNEAU PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIELLA LUCIER

After being together for four years, Arsh Hazrah knew it was finally the right time to propose to his long-distance girlfriend, Kelli McCord. Shortly after she said yes, they set the date for July 13, 2024.

McCord and Hazrah first met while attending the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Their relationship became a long-distance one when Hazrah finished his PhD and moved to Frankfurt, Germany, to research making potable water from salt water. At the same time, McCord graduated and relocated to Houston, Texas, to focus on cancer T-cell research. The chemistry lab brought them together, but now years later, their careers in science have kept them thousands of kilometres away from one another.

Despite the distance, the couple still makes an effort to see one another every six weeks, but admits that the space between them is noticeable. “It’s hard, especially with the time change,” McCord says. The separation is temporary, though; a realization that keeps their spirits buoyed.

The night before she was expected to marry her fiancé, McCord tried on her dress to find it didn’t fit as it should. Desperate, she ran to her neighbour, Hazrah’s aunt, who happened to be a seamstress. McCord had the dress tailored to her exact proportions just in time for her to walk down the aisle a day later.

The pair was so elated to be in the same country with one another that hardly anything else mattered to them. Hazrah’s mother, Goldie, was happy to step up and help plan the wedding, as well as the seven days of events leading up to it. “At the core, we knew what we wanted,” says McCord. But ultimately, the pair just wanted to be together and celebrate with friends and family.

With a keen eye for detail and luxury, Goldie Hazrah brought the couple’s Pinterest board to life. The elegant, bright white decor showcased McCord’s charming personality paired with a delicate, timeless look. Current wedding trends didn’t heavily inspire McCord’s original approach to design and planning. As a bride of modern times, she predicts that more couples will ditch traditional plans, including having a wedding party of bridesmaids and groomsmen at the altar, as they did.

Aside from the frantic last-minute alterations to her dress, McCord and Hazrah don’t have any complaints about their wedding or the week of events leading up to it—a feat which they credit to the wedding planners and coordinators, as well as their supportive families. Monsoon Bistro & Bar provided Indian and Western cuisine for nearly every event held during the week of the wedding, including a dinner for over 450 guests. Photographer Daniella Lucier expertly captured the ceremony and reception. Appearing in many of the photos are delicate white lilies, lovingly selected by McCord as a nod to her new husband’s favourite flower.

As for their future together, McCord and Hazrah aren’t concerned with where they might end up living once they’ve completed their research. Both are applying for jobs in their respective countries, stating, “We don't care where we are as long as we're together.”