Indonesian, Turkish couple gets engaged online

An Indonesian man and a Turkish woman who met two years ago in Indonesia hosted their engagement ceremony via videoconference that was attended by families in the two countries.

Edanur Yıldız, 22, who lives in İnegol of northwestern Bursa province of Turkey went to Indonesia in 2019 as part of an exchange program.

There she met Muhammad Mutawalli Asshidiqiy, 27, who managed a cafe in Jambi province.

As their friendship grew, Yıldız returned to Turkey but the two kept in touch through social media.

In time, their friendship turned to love and the couple decided to get married.

Upon the approval of his family, the young Indonesian went to Inegol for the engagement. Due to the high cost of flights, Asshidiqiy's family was not able to attend the ceremony in person.

Instead, they held the traditional ceremony of asking the girl's hand in marriage through videoconference, where the prospective groom's family seeks approval from the bride's family.

This was followed by an engagement ceremony and the couple declared their engagement on social media with a graphic.

Yıldız, who continues her university studies, told Anadolu Agency that she was warmly welcomed by Indonesians during her two-week stay in the country.

She said she did not have difficulty, as Indonesian students could speak Turkish.

"There, I met Mutawalli. Mutawalli did not know Turkish, because he wasn't a student in Turkey," said Yıldız. "At first, we were only friends, then our relationship grew and when it became a serious level, we decided to get engaged."

She said her family had hesitations regarding their relationships in the beginning. While her mother did not find the relationship odd, her father thought differently, but he...