Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat, a Turkish couple, invited more than 4,000 Syrians in the southern city of Kilis to celebrate with them on their wedding day last week. The couple teamed up with local charity Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There?) that helps millions of underprivileged people around the world, according to The Telegraph .
The idea came from the father of the groom, Ali Üzümcüoğlu, who told Serhat Kilis newspaper that they wanted to "share the wedding party with our Syrian brothers and sisters" and inspire others to start their married life with a selfless act.
Approximately 2 million Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey since the beginning of the bloody civil war in Syria, which is now in its fifth year.
The couple, with their guests, arranged with the charity to deliver food to the refugees. Wedding guests, who had helped raise the money needed to provide KYM with the necessary amounts of food and transportation, sat side-by-side with refugees while the bride and groom distributed food.
The bride told i100 that it was "a wonderful experience."
"I’m happy that we had the opportunity to share our wedding meal with the people who are in real need," she said.
The groom, on the other hand, described the "priceless" moment of "seeing the happiness in the eyes of the Syrian refugee children."
To the newlyweds' delight, friends have become keen to do the same for their wedding celebrations.