KUALA LUMPUR: Kelantanese Nur Eliani Mohd Asmadi originally intended to visit Istanbul, Turkiye, two years ago for a vacation, but a friend's invitation persuaded her to settle in the country and work as a tour guide.
Fate then had it that Nur Eliani, aged 30, would cross paths with a local man, Recep Karacay, 23, who became her husband on Sept 27.
Sharing further, Nur Eliani said she did not expect to marry this year, especially to a man much younger than herself. However, the woman from Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan, believes that destiny brought them together despite their brief acquaintance, which lasted less than three months.
"I never anticipated getting married in the near future, but when my husband proposed, everything fell into place. Besides, I am approaching 30 years of age, so I thought it was time to get married. I accepted my husband because I saw that he prioritises religion and maintains his prayers," she said.
Nur Eliani mentioned that she and her husband met at an unplanned encounter in a café.
"I enjoy hanging out for a drink and visiting various cafes on my days off to 'chill.'
One day, I went to a café as usual, and coincidentally, he worked there as a waiter. When it was time to pay, he asked for my Instagram (IG) profile and sent a message to invite me out, but I didn't reply and even tried to avoid it. Until one day, I invited someone to have breakfast, but I had no friends available, so I tried to invite my husband, and he agreed. To the best of my recollection, it was on June 17, and that was the first time we went out together and had a conversation," she said.
According to her, her husband was reluctant to prolong their friendship and proposed marriage because he wanted to make their relationship legitimate.
"He (my husband) doesn't like dating, he considers it sinful, so when he proposed marriage, I immediately contacted my father.
"My father agreed, but he asked about my husband's background and requested a photo. On the other hand, my mother, when she asked, made me think carefully before making a decision because she was worried about potential problems in the future," she said.
With her parents' blessings, the couple got married on September 27, but her family couldn't attend because her younger sibling also got married in that month.
"I was saddened, and during the video call at the solemnization ceremony, I saw my father tearing up, but I am grateful that everything went smoothly from the beginning to the end of the ceremony," she said.
Sharing more about their relationship, Nur Eliani said her husband is a romantic person, and she has no trouble adjusting to him and her in-laws.
"There was no problem marrying a foreign man, except for the language challenge. This is because my husband is not very fluent in English, so we communicate a lot through Google Translate. However, there is a silver lining because sometimes we might start arguing but never actually do because my husband doesn't understand what I'm saying," she explained.
Like any other couple, Nur Eliani also hopes for a blessed and happy and lasting marriage.
"I never expected that sharing our story on TikTok would receive so much attention and positive comments, to the extent that some consider our story inspiring," she said.
