Shehzaan Chunara, of Snellville, says he met his wife, Zainab Churnara, six years ago at a religious service. He proposed in May 2014 on "The Ellen Degeneres Show."
"At some point, my father mentioned that we could consider having a simpler wedding and donating what we budgeted to a respected organization like Aga Khan Foundation," he said.
"People we didn't even know came to see how our wedding turned out and another couple was inspired to do the same thing," Shehzaan Chunara said.
The couple didn't reveal their total donation amount, but Shehzaan Chunara says it was beyond what they would have spent on their wedding. The money raised will go to help impoverished children globally that "don't have clean drinking water. They don't have healthcare. They don't have education," he said in a video on the couple's donation website.
"Many of us will never experience anything close to this in our lives, but for, Shehzaan & I, we strongly feel to whom much is given, much is expected. So we found a moment in our life which we could give to the thought of others – in this case what would otherwise have been a grand wedding," Zainab Chunara said in the online video.
The couple knows that their unique wedding idea may not be for everyone, but they encourage others to think about what is most important to them.
"That internal feeling that you get, that's something that's resounding and stays with you for the rest of your life. That's better than seeing pictures," Shehzaan Churnara said.
