Community throws surprise wedding for Syrian refugees

A group of volunteers in Saskatoon, a city in Saskatchewan, Canada, came together to throw a Syrian couple a surprise wedding ceremony. Mohamad Al-Noury and Athar Farroukh were forced to flee their country ten days after they were married because of a bombing, CBC reports. They weren't able to record or photograph their nuptials.

CBC reporter Eman Bare first encountered the couple while writing a story about the mental health of refugees. "I started taking pictures of them towards the end [of our interview] for my story and the woman, Athar, said that, 'I never got to have wedding pictures.' I just started thinking, and I said, 'Well I have a camera. If you want tomorrow, I can take a couple wedding-type pictures for you,'" Bare says.

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After posting her plan on Facebook, groups and individuals offered their support in throwing a surprise wedding ceremony for the couple. Volunteers donated a dress, suit, cake, and reception space.

%shareLinks-quote="We're blessed that we're in Saskatoon" type="quote" author="Athar Farroukh" authordesc="" isquoteoftheday="false"%

The couple, who believed they were going to a photoshoot, were notified about the ceremony only a few minutes before entering. About 50 people including friends of the couple and complete strangers were there to celebrate.

"We're blessed that we're in Saskatoon and we've seen a lot of great things and met a lot of great people and it's a dream come true for us," Farroukh said through an interpreter.

"I shared it with my friends on WhatsApp," Al-Noury told CBC News. "All my friends saw the video, and they were happy. And surprised."

The couple now hopes that their families will be able to join them in Canada.

See how a Syrian family settled in Connecticut​:

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