How I Met My Partner: Three weddings planned after special proposal in Cork's Bell’s Field

A LOVESTRUCK couple are still celebrating what has to be one of the most romantic proposals Cork has ever seen as they plan for three separate weddings in various parts of the world.

Ali Syed from New York rose to local fame in the rebel city with his imaginative proposal to then girlfriend Maha Irfan in Bell’s Field.

The moment was captured on video by Jannik of Save the Journey Photography who Ali hired for the special evening.

Maha had believed she was attending a graduation picnic in Bell’s Field when 25-year-old Ali popped the question.

Jannik was posing as a stranger at the time before UCC graduate Maha realised he was there to record their special moment.

Medicine student Ali never anticipated they would have so many people to share in their joy before being met with wild applause from everyone in the park.

Toronto native Maha, who is also training to become a doctor, is excited about them finally being able to live together in New York after being selected for a prestigious residency in a local neurology facility.

Despite their hectic schedules, the pair are still finding time to organise three separate wedding ceremonies. These will take place in Pakistan — the native country of both their parents — Toronto and New York. Ali, who had been dating Maha for two years before proposing, said their first meeting still feels like yesterday.

“We were both at the same wedding,” Ali recalled. “Our dads, who were friends in college, had been invited by a mutual friend. I was introduced to Maha’s dad and he asked me what I was doing in college. When I explained that I was planning to study medicine he told me that he had a daughter in medical school —also at the wedding — who would be happy to give me advice.”

Ali decided to take the plunge and approach Maha’s table.

“I approached her and we struck up a conversation about what it’s like studying medicine and the challenges of the first year,” Ali said.

“I asked her what Ireland was like because I had never been there. It was a pretty good segue that helped us get a window into each other’s lives.

“We exchanged socials and continued our conversations online.”

He recalled how both their fathers were thrilled to hear they had fallen in love.

“It was a good vehicle for them to reminisce about their old college days,” he laughed. “In an inadvertent way our dads were the matchmakers and they were as excited as any wingmen.”

The couple were determined to make their long-distance relationship work.

“We used apps that allowed us to watch Netflix together online,” Ali said.

“A lot of our time was spent planning ahead.

LONG-DISTANCE COMES TO AN END

“We’re glad to be bringing the long-distance thing to an end because it can be tough at times.”

The couple enjoyed what little they saw of each other in person in the last year.

“We love cuisine and are both real foodies,” Ali added.

“Maha and I like almost all cuisine but the one food I can’t get into is Thai food. I often joke that Thai restaurants are the only place she’ll ever have to eat alone.”

He described how his deep love for Maha made the challenges easier.

“I can’t put my finger on any one trait that attracted me to Maha because everything about her is so captivating as a whole.

“I loved her so much that all the challenges such as the long-distance element of our relationship faded into the background after we got to know each other.

“Any time we have together is always fun and enjoyable. It’s all about doing everything you can do to savour the time you have together and being appreciative of what lies ahead.”

The 25-year-old explained their reasons behind planning three separate wedding events.

“We want to share this with our loved ones,” Ali said. “It just so happens that they’re in three different parts of the world.

“Our New York wedding is the first week of October, the Toronto wedding is October 28, and the Pakistan wedding is on November 11.

“We are thinking that we would love to have some kind of celebration in Cork too as we had everyone in Bell’s Field that day telling us that they wanted to attend our wedding.

“We are so excited to be having our wedding in three different countries. We are particularly excited about the wedding in Pakistan as neither of us have been back there in a while.

“Both of our parents are very excited. They are learning choreographed dance moves to prepare for the big day.

“Each wedding is going to be filled with fun, food and a lot of dancing.”