The Philippine and Lebanese connection partied à la fête champêtre-style till the sun came up to celebrate the union of Maha Assad and Rida Azar
A reflection of these couples’ romantic histories and commitments, four brides share how their dream weddings came to life. Shauna Jay Popple Williams takes you along for the nostalgic ride and culls invaluable advice for future brides-to-be
How big was your wedding and where did most of your guests come from?
We had over 700 guests from abroad and Lebanon. It was an honour to have all our friends from abroad here, especially my friends who ew all the way from the Philippines, Costa Rica, the UK, and the States. Most notable was Her Excellency, Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Bernardita Catalla. We spent an amazing week of partying till the wee hours only to get up and go sightseeing the next day. We hardly slept!
How did you meet?
We met 11 years ago. I used to go to Lebanon every Christmas and for summer vacations. One summer, my cousin Jessica, who is best friends with Rida, introduced us and since that day, we’ve never left each other’s side. What’s funny is my parents were also classmates in high school and my mother’s biggest crush back then—and till now—is my father.
Describe the proposal.
We were in Singapore for work to exhibit at the jewellery show that we join every year. As it was our 10-year anniversary, one night after the show, Rida had everything prepared before we arrived in Singapore at Gunther’s, a Michelin-starred restaurant. Unfortunately, we had a client who stayed longer than expected and the restaurant called Rida to tell him that they couldn’t accommodate us anymore since we were late for our reservation. Since we had work again the next day, we went straight to bed.
His first attempt to propose failed and apparently everyone knew but me! I didn’t even know he had called my father the day before to formally ask if he would approve of his marrying me.
On the second night, Rida asked me to go to dinner somewhere nice since we had had such a long day. I didn’t feel or expect anything that evening. We tried for Gunther’s again and poor Rida was nervous since nothing was prepared. He disappeared for a moment and went to speak to the chef and owner, Gunther Hubrechsen. When he approached our table, Rida said to him, “You are the best chef in the world!” To which he responded, “I hope I will be after tonight!” At that point, I didn’t understand what he meant. On our last main course, which was a big Wagyu steak, there was a ring on it! I was speechless. With the biggest smile on his face, Rida asked me to marry him. That night I said yes to my best friend.
