On their wedding day, this generous couple fed 4,000 refugees
A wedding day is about celebrating the love between two people who wish to spend the rest of their lives together; it’s about exchanging vows in front of all those you hold dear; it’s about declaring your love for the whole world to see and acknowledge. And for this unbelievably and beautifully generous couple their special day was also about helping 4,000 people in need.
Last Thursday, Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat from Turkey had a fabulous, one-of-a-kind wedding reception on the border town of Kilis. Esra wore a beautiful white gown with a tiara on her headdress, while Fethullah wore a snazzy tuxedo, but the couple didn’t dance in their upscale outfits. Instead, they decided to help those who were suffering from the nearby Syrian civil war by doling out food to thousands of hungry Syrian refugees.
The Turkish province of Kilis is on the Syrian border and is where thousands of refugees are currently residing, taking shelter from the bloody war. Turkey has accepted approximately 2 million Syrian refugees, and there are 4 million refugees who have fled in what the UN has described as the worst crisis of its kind in this generation. The groom’s father, Ali Üzümcüoğlu, volunteers for Kimse Yok Mu (KYM), a Turkish relief organization, and initially came up with the brilliant idea for a wedding celebration.
“I thought that sharing a big delicious dinner with our family and friends was unnecessary, knowing that there are so many people in need living next door,” Ali explained to The Independent. “So I came up with this idea and shared it with my son.”
Fethullah then shared his father’s idea with Esra. “I was shocked when Fethullah first told me about the idea but afterwards I was won over by it,” she told The Independent. “It was such a wonderful experience. I’m happy that we had the opportunity to share our wedding meal with the people who are in real need.”
Not only did the bride and groom help distribute meals, but they even snapped their wedding pictures with those who were residing at the camp. The couple also pooled money they had been given from their families to host a party, and they invited the refugees who live in and around the city.
“[It was] the best and happiest moment of my life,” Fethullah explained to The Independent. “. . . Seeing the happiness in the eyes of the Syrian refugee children is just priceless. We started our journey to happiness with making others happy and that’s a great feeling.” “We thought that on such a happy day, we would share the wedding party with our Syrian brothers and sisters,” Ali told Serhat Kilis newspaper. “We thought this was best done with Kimse Yok Mu who could provide a truck. God willing, this will lead to others doing the same and giving food to our Syrian brothers and sisters. For us, it was an interesting wedding dinner.”
We certainly think that Ali got his wish — we have a feeling plenty will be doing the same as this wonderful couple. These are the real #relationshipgoals we should be striving for. Thanks, Fethullah and Esra, for so beautifully using your wedding day to make the lives of so many people a little bit brighter.
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[Images via Twitter]
