Bride and groom feed 4,000 refugees on wedding day
A Turkish couple decided to forgo their wedding banquet in favour of providing food to thousands of Syrian refugees.
The newly-weds borrowed a food truck from a local charity and spent their wedding dinner funds on meals for 4,000 displaced people living in poverty.
The bride and groom even handed out the food on their big day while dressed in their wedding finery.
The joyous affair took place last week in the Turkish city of Kilis, near the country's border with Syria.
PHOTO: GOOGLE MAPS
More than 4 million Syrians have fled their country since the civil war started four years ago. About half of those refugees currently stay in Turkey, reported the United Nations.
It was the groom's father, Mr Ali Uzumcuoglu, who suggested scrapping the traditional Turkish wedding – usually a lavish three-day affair – and spending the money on the needy instead.
He reportedly told The Independent: "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.
"So I came up with this idea and shared it with my son (Fethullah Uzumcuoglu). I’m very happy that he accepted it and they started their new happy journey with such a selfless action."
'Journey to happiness'
The bride, Ms Esra Polat, was initially taken aback by the suggestion, but quickly warmed up to it.
"I was shocked when Fethullah first told me about the idea, but afterwards I was won over by it. 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."
The couple worked with charity Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There?) to carry out their plan.
Said the groom: "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."
Sources: Mirror, The Telegraph, Huffington Post
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