Siblings of Beirut blast victims wed ‘for better, for worse’ in emotional ceremony

A wedding in Lebanon on Sunday brought many tears and much joy, with thousands of people on social media wishing the couple a return of the happiness they lost three years ago in the Beirut explosion.

The tragedy in 2020 brought the bride and groom together during the years that followed.

“For better, for worse,” William Noun promised his bride, Maria Fares, during the wedding.

The words had added meaning as the groom is the spokesman for the families of the victims of the Beirut port explosion.

He is also the brother of Joe Noun, who was part of a fire brigade team trying to extinguish a blaze that broke out before the deadly port explosion on Aug. 4. He was killed in the blast.

The bride is the sister of Sahar Fares, who was also part of the fire brigade team and was killed with her colleagues in the explosion.

Activists on social media posted clips of the wedding and the preparations of the bride and the groom before the ceremony, as well as the reception that followed.

There were mixed feelings of joy and sadness as Maria’s mother witnessed her daughter’s wedding to William and Maria’s father gave the bride away to the groom.

The parents had lost their first daughter Sahar as they were making plans for her wedding.

Maria posted a message on her Instagram account to Sahar hours before the wedding.

She said: “About 3 years and 3 months ago, you were preparing for your wedding. Today my heart hurts more than ever for your absence.

“I know that you are watching us from where you are. You feel for us and are happy about our wedding, which we were hoping you and Joe — William’s brother — would attend.

“You are the sweetest heavenly bridesmaid and groom’s best man, the sweetest angels. We promise you before God to continue on the path (the search for the truth).”

William recalled his brother Joe in a message he posted on Instagram.

He wrote: “27 years we lived together, you and I, on earth before criminals came and decided to take you from me.

“Our dreams were simple and easy. We did not ask for anything but to stay beside each other.”

William added: “It is true that I am happy today, despite all the sadness for your absence, but the biggest goal before me and before every person who loves Lebanon will remain, which is to achieve justice and truth and hold everyone who killed you accountable. I love you, my older brother.”

William and Maria met at one of the centers set up for psychological treatment of the families of the port blast victims.

The two were romantically linked in 2022 and their relationship continued during the protests that the victims’ families carried out in front of the Palace of Justice in Beirut to put pressure on the judiciary to complete the investigations.

A lawsuit against Judge Tariq Bitar by defendant ministers, representatives and security leaders later halted the investigations.

Meanwhile, Gilbert Al-Quraan — the former fiance of Sahar Fares — announced his engagement a few days ago to Jennifer Shehadeh.

Gilbert was to marry Sahar but she died in the blast. He spent a year without leaving his room as a result of the shock.

After undergoing psychological treatment, Gilbert met Jennifer, who was also suffering from trauma.

Jennifer lost her fiance, Marwan Kfoury, in a traffic accident in 2021. Marwan and Jennifer had been due to marry in June 2021.

Gilbert and Jennifer comforted each other during their shared bereavement. In their engagement announcement, they affirming their feelings for those they lost.

In the latest developments surrounding the investigations into the 2020 tragedy, Lebanese MP George Akis, a former judge, on Monday welcomed the position of UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk.

Turk declared before the Human Rights Council: “It is time to consider sending an international fact-finding mission into relevant human rights violations related to the tragedy of the Beirut port explosion.”

There has been no accountability three years after the Beirut explosion.