This Couple Had Two Hours To Find People To Witness Their Wedding And The Internet Stepped Up

Toronto the Good. <3

Einav Morgenstern and Tamar Yahel were all set for their wedding at Toronto City Hall last month when they hit a critical snag. The two friends who were going to be their witnesses said they might not make it.

Einav Morgenstern

It wasn't that dire a situation, considering Morgenstern and Yahel had already held a ceremony in Israel. However, Israeli law doesn't allow for same-sex marriages, although the country does recognize same-sex marriages performed in other countries.

The Toronto wedding ceremony, then, was more of a chance to formalize their marriage, but they still needed witnesses.

Though they figured they could snag some people at City Hall, they had another idea: Bunz. The Bunz community on Facebook is a series of groups where people trade items or reach out for help. Morgenstern posted this message on Bunz Trading Zone.

Facebook

They just needed a couple of people to show up for 20 minutes or so, and the response was overwhelming.

"In a few minutes we got hundreds of likes to our posts and a lot of comments," Morgenstern told BuzzFeed Canada.

Photographer Saajid Motala had just woke up when he saw the Bunz message, about an hour before the ceremony was to start.

Saajid Motala

"I was feeling a little crummy because I was supposed to do a photo shoot that day and my client cancelled on me at the last possible moment," Motala told BuzzFeed Canada.

He decided that instead of lying in bed all day, he'd find someone to help.

"I rolled out of bed wearing nothing but boxers and I see this wonderful little post," he said.

His camera gear was already charged and packed for the cancelled gig, so he told Morgenstern and Yahel he could be both a witness and photographer for their ceremony. He jumped into a suit and managed to get to City Hall by 10:45 a.m.

Stay-at-home mom Monica Kelly was making grape jelly when she saw the post. "I just thought, 'Why not?'" she said.

Monica Kelly

As the mom of a transgender son, Kelly said she's a dedicated advocate for the LGBT community, so she felt particularly moved by the post.

"I thought, 'It’s really sad that, in their country, it's not recognized as a legal union and we need to celebrate that here it is," she said.

She hopped on the streetcar and made it to City Hall with 10 minutes to spare.

Lilya Sultanova, an arts administrator at a dance college, saw the post just as she was about to head to work. "I texted my boss and asked her if it was OK if I came in a bit late because there’s this wedding at City Hall I'd like to attend," she said.

Lilya Sultanova

"I didn’t know that Israel would recognize a same-sex marriage if it was registered somewhere else, so that made it even more meaningful because I’ve known couples from other counties who could not marry legally in their countries," Sultanova told BuzzFeed Canada.

Actor Ken Ferguson said he wasn't feeling well that day but "perked right up" after seeing the post, knowing he could help.

Ken Ferguson

"I had lived in Japan and knew how stressful it was to live in a foreign country, let alone fill out documents in another language for your marriage!" he told BuzzFeed Canada.

Ferguson put on a suit, got on his bike, and zipped down to city hall with two bouquets of flowers for the brides. He arrived before even the couple had gotten there.

A total of four witnesses — and total strangers — showed up to watch Morgenstern and Yahel tie the knot.

Saajid Motala / Via mixtapephotos.com

"We thought it was just something formal that we needed to secure our rights in Israel for our children," said Morgenstern.

The couple has one child and one on the way.

"Once we received all that support and people sending their love to us, it really made it much more special," she said. "The fact that they dropped everything they were doing and responded so warmly and quickly is truly extraordinary."

Even the City Hall officiant made it a little extra special, letting all four witnesses sign the license instead of the usual two.

Morgenstern said that as a queer couple, she and Yahel like looking for alternative ways to do things. Their wedding in Israel, for example, incorporated parts of Jewish culture into a secular ceremony.

Saajid Motala / Via mixtapephotos.com

"One of the greatest privileges of being a queer person is you get to be exposed to many different types of ceremonies and relationships and connections between people," Morgenstern said.

And although the group started as strangers, they're not anymore. All the witnesses told BuzzFeed Canada that getting to be part of the ceremony was a beautiful thing.

"They’re special folks," said Motala. "I think this is the type of city that embraces things like this. I’m very much proud to be part of a community that would embrace this and do this for others."

"We feel as queer people, since nothing is taken for granted, we have the privilege of deciding what we want to take and what we want to do," Morgenstern said. "It really gives us the opportunity to have unique experiences such as this one."

Saajid Motala / Via mixtapephotos.com

"We don't take for granted the support and love we received from strangers. And that is was that that made it special for us."