Stephanie Shojaee admits her engagement story is far from a fairytale.
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“Oh my gosh, my proposal was nothing — nothing like I expected it would be,” The Real Housewives of Miami newbie told The Daily Dish. “It was far, far away from a fairytale proposal.”
Stephanie Shojaee shares details on her engagement
Like many couples, Stephanie and her now-husband, Masoud Shojaee, began discussing marriage as their relationship became increasingly serious. She recalled telling the real estate mogul about her ideal engagement ring, specifying her preferred stone shape (round) and setting. After several discussions, Masoud started hunting for Stephanie’s perfect sparkler. And, let’s just say, he wasn’t exactly secretive about it.
“He’s like, ‘Oh, I’m ring searching,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, you’re not supposed to like tell me this!’” Stephanie recalled. “He’s like, ‘Come meet me, because I want to make sure to get one that you like.’ I was so involved with it. It kind of fits me, now that I think about it, because I’m such a control freak, and I really like to know everything that’s going on.”
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Stephanie said Masoud secured the ring about a week or two later.
“It wasn’t a get-on-your-knee type of thing. It was like, ‘Ta-da!’” she continued. “[I was] like, ‘Are you asking me to marry you?’ … It makes a good story, but it wasn’t like this lovely fairytale.”
Masoud Shojaee proposes to Stephanie Shojaee for a second time
In 2021, Masoud re-proposed to Stephanie during a candlelit dinner and presented his wife with a new ring. Stephanie shared the unexpected moment on Instagram.
“YES babe, forever,” she captioned the video. “I’ll marry you again and AGAIN! You never cease to amaze and surprise me! To think so many were against our marriage and now we are going for round 2.”
Stephanie Shojaee got married in a courthouse: “I was in a rush”
Although she received multiple marriage proposals, Stephanie has never had a traditional wedding ceremony. She told The Daily Dish that she and Masoud tied the knot at the courthouse shortly before their busy workday.
“I was in a rush, because we had meetings and I really wanted to make it to the meeting, but I also really wanted to get married,” she explained. “So we went [to the courthouse]… That’s how we got married. Then we went to work, and we worked all day… I didn’t even wear white.”
Stephanie Shojaee has no regrets about forgoing a traditional wedding
After inking her marriage documents, Stephanie began planning a one-month honeymoon that included her parents. She revealed the group traveled to Dubai, Thailand, and the Maldives, saying it was an adventure she would never trade for a big wedding.
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“I feel like it’s the best memories that I could ever possibly have of my wedding,” she said about the getaway. “I would rather have a month trip with my mom and my dad, and my husband, exploring the world [instead of] feeding a hundred people that are going to complain about the food, and they’re going to say something about [my wedding] dress, and they’re not gonna like the venue. And then half of them I’m not gonna speak to in 10 years. So why spend the money on them when I can spend the money on my fabulous memories?”
Stephanie Shojaee calls her husband Masoud Shojaee a “godsend”
Stephanie and Masoud aren’t just spouses. They’re also business partners. In 2021, the RHOM cast member was appointed the president of the Shoma Group, a real estate development company that Masoud founded in 1988. Stephanie said she and Masoud had similar work ethics, which contributed to their successful marriage.
“My husband is genuinely a godsend. He’s perfect… We really mesh so well together,” she told The Daily Dish. “I think we’re so driven. For us, it’s career first. I don’t care if he wants to stay in the office until 10 p.m., [and] he doesn’t care if I have to stay. He doesn’t care if we have to go work on the weekends. I don’t care if we’re at dinner and he has to take four phone calls. He doesn’t care if I’m texting.”
“We just both are understanding,” she continued, “and we both are in our separate lanes, but our lanes merge constantly.”
Learn more about Stephanie’s life before Masoud, including her past relationship with Nicole Martin’s fiancé, Anthony Lopez.
— Additional reporting by Stephanie Gomulka
