00:01It has to be an amazing wedding. I'm a wedding planner. You know, everyone's
00:06gonna look at our work. It's much more difficult than deciding on other
00:11people's behalf, so it really has been very, very, very stressful.
00:18Ziad wanted a really, really small wedding, and I like big weddings, so we
00:23compromised, and ended up with a number of six hundred attendees.
00:38So my parents were friends with her parents. I was friends with her sister.
00:42They were classmates. Then 28 years later, we bumped into each other. We're a friend of ours.
00:50We're getting married there.
00:52And when I saw her, I had the feeling of her being the one. I felt that this would
00:58progress to where we are today.
01:09Long time ago, Arab women, they were mostly housewives. Today, it's very different.
01:14In the 21st century, we're women who have careers, and I love that he's the type of
01:18man that appreciates that and values that.
01:23We wanted a destination by the sea. We wanted something which is very grand.
01:28In Europe, it was more of restrictions on the after-party and having to move inside.
01:34And Arabs like to party like crazy, so that was like a no-no.
01:38And then when we came to Beirut, we saw this venue, and we didn't even ask. We just knew it
01:45was going to be the place.
01:49I'm Catholic.
01:51Ziad is Orthodox. We come from different sects.
01:54But then, because he's Orthodox, what happens is basically I'm going to convert and become an Orthodox.
02:02But that's going to take place on the day of the wedding.
02:04We have a cultural identity, but we are getting exposed to different cultures, which is making our own identity.
02:14And as long as me and her can respect each other, then you can grow.
02:21Being together, we develop each other, or we pull each other up or down or sideways in life.
02:29I'm so blessed to have them.
02:45This is the most difficult wedding I've ever been involved in.
02:52The vibe is going to be royal and elegant.
02:57In our culture and in our tradition, they say that the wedding is for the parents and not for the
03:03people getting married.
03:05I think it's for both, maybe, because...
03:08We've respected their decisions and their inputs.
03:18We asked for a traditional zaffa.
03:23It's Arabic music, welcoming the bride to her new life, as if she's not alone. She has family behind her.
03:39In Arab cultures, they consider the woman to be the flower of the house.
03:43And when a woman leaves the house, they don't just walk out and go to church. They're kind of celebrated.
03:54And it's like our cultural way of telling the bride that now you're ready.
04:07The party after is going to be the highlight, but I think the church ceremony is what makes it special.
04:13With the vows and the wedding dress, her entrance.
04:17I think this is the magical part of the wedding.
04:33There are certain cultural values that we believe in, that we've respected these things and we've kept them.
04:40It's not just a tradition that's being done with no purpose.
04:54Her dad once told me,
04:57You've taken the most precious thing I have.
05:00And, you know, he's put it right.
05:11After the church ceremony, there's no more traditions left with us to celebrate our marriage.
05:24A lot of the wedding has elements which reflect our own identities and compromise. I think we managed to put
05:31it together.
05:31As a couple, I feel that this mix of avant-garde and classical together would bring out something very special.
06:04You are worth enjoying it.
06:08Let us share how adorable.
06:09When I had all the cake, I must keep my tatami together.
06:09to think about.
06:11Honestly, just sit,
06:12have your alone time,
06:14think of all the beautiful things.
06:17It will all pass by very smoothly.
06:20I believe that life
06:21will take you through the right steps.
06:23There's a solution to every problem.
06:30Thanks for watching World Wide Wed.
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