Liane and Adam Barakat ready for ‘a whole new world’

Marriage is an adventure.

It is a dazzling place Liane Chung never knew she would end up. When she first met her prince, Adam Barakat, on a night out on the town with friends back in 2013, the two never made it past the brief introductions. It was not that he was not the perfect gentleman, but she was taken.

Fast-forward to December 2017, Liane, who was now single, having seen a social media story of a handsome gentleman she thought she didn’t know, sent a smiley face and heart-eye emoji in a message. It was there and then that Adam really opened her eyes. “I could not have prolonged the meet-and-greet then, but it’s sweet (and must have been fate) how we found our way back to each other four years later, not remembering we had originally met,” Liane shared with Island Wedding.

Together for four years, the two have had a memorable courtship and an even more memorable proposal. Instead of an extravagant proposal, Adam opted to get down on one knee surrounded by relatives, some of whom were surprise guests, during dinner on Christmas Day at his sister’s home. Liane shared that it was exactly what she had wanted. “I wanted to be surrounded by our family since we spend a lot of time [with] them, and they have been an integral part of our relationship. My mom, sister and stepdad, who I didn’t even know were there the entire time until after, [when I realised] that they were hiding behind the couch I was sitting in.”

FAMILY AFFAIR

The couple knew they wanted their families to be involved, from proposal to preparation. Another of Adam’s sisters would open her home, ‘Riverstones’ in Gordon Town, to host their wedding ceremony.

The wedding’s theme was an idea Liane had in mind before Adam even proposed – “a relaxed, outdoor setting, with nature a step away and no specific colour in mind”. Hence, the beautiful garden at the already-familiar venue was appropriate. The couple hired wedding planner Kimberley Dunkley Watkins of Dragonfly Experiences to make the dream a reality. She would find the solution when the rain added another element of surprise, recreating the entire ceremony set-up, including an over-the-pool stage where the ceremony was originally to take place, a designated photo area and a live band, which had to be relocated. Luckily, the seating area was covered, and so their guests stayed dry.

“There were a lot of emotions that surfaced because of the rain and wanting everything to go right, but when I had put on the dress and I was about to go down the aisle, I was ready to become Mrs Barakat,” Liane shared about her emotions on what had started out as a tranquil day with an amazing breakfast, which her mom had catered.

Though the sky was overcast, the ceremony was a shining celebration of Liane and Adam’s love for their loved ones. The mothers of the groom and bride led the procession, then the bridal party. Adam walked in, flanked by his sisters (representing his deceased father), to the tune of Perfect Duet by Ed Sheeran. Liane was guided by her father and stepfather, with Chantal Kreviazuk’s Feels Like Home playing in the background. The selection of music told the story of the couple starting a new chapter. After all the formalities, the couple would dance to the song that spoke to their future together – A Whole New World by Zayn & Zhavia Ward.

“We both love the movie Aladdin, and the meaning behind the words of the song – our marriage and new life together is a whole new world for us. All in all, it was a fabulous day! Good thing I had eaten breakfast at the start of the day, and had tasted the delicious food when we did our tasting because, with the rain and being overwhelmed with emotions, I only had a fork of rice and a chicken skewer during the celebration,” Liane said.

Adam, whose favourite part of the day, outside of the ‘I dos’, was to “dance and carry on”, boasts that his wife outdid herself with the wedding. “For preparation that only started seven months before the date, it was beautiful. A lot of it was like Greek to me, as my wife did 95 per cent of this (with the help of our planner). Liane’s eyes are much better for these things, and I loved her selections of colours and the theme,” he said.

He joked that the valuable lesson he has learnt from his wife that has helped him to become a stronger man, ready to take on this new world, is “one, my wife is always right, and two, if my wife is ever wrong, refer to number one”. The groom shared that the words ‘until death do you part’ has so much meaning for them together as he recalled being ill in the earlier stages of their relationship, and upon finding out, Liane rushed to be by his side. That was the moment he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

“It means that I will always love, support, endure, protect and be by her side forever. I had always thought (or known) she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, but slightly salty, when she gave me a quick ‘hello’ and instantly departed in the beginning. After reconnecting on Facebook, in my mind the salt was still there, but I watched as she progressed through law school, and got to know her more for the compassionate person she is, and [I] feel good knowing she is my partner for life,” Adam said.

stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com