One week after the tragic events of the Sydney siege in Martin Place, 23-year-old bride Manal Kassem took time out of her wedding to honour the victims.
A photo speaks a thousand words. Meet Manal. #FlowerMemorial #MartinPlaceSiege
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Kassem and her groom, Mahmod Homaisi, had originally planned for their wedding photo shoot to take place in the city, but were hesitant after the recent events.
Flower power “@Makbulldog: Muslim bride lays her wedding bouquet at #MartinPlace Very touching ” #sydneyseige #auspoI
As Kassem laid her bouquet on the memorial the crowd broke into applause.
Sydney stands together: A Muslim bride laid her bouquet at Martin Place in tribute to the victims of the siege.
Wedding planner Dina Kheir told AAP that Kassem wanted to make the stop out of respect:
She was going to cancel [the photo shoot] because she didn't want to be judged ... celebrating her wedding in a scarf while people were terrorised. ... But she made it her priority to visit the memorial site as the first pit stop. ... She did it out of respect for her country, that will one day be the country of her children and grandchildren.
The sea of flowers continues to grow at Martin Place. The NSW government plans to eventually compost the flowers and create a permanent memorial site.
A man carries flowers to a memorial in Martin Place in Sydney. More photos of the day: http://t.co/LFSM80bknZ