Ibrahim Halil Dudu was a master tailor for 28 years when he lived in Aleppo, Syria. He also happened to be Jo Du’s savior, when, right before Du’s wedding on Sunday in Ontario, Canada — where Halil Dudu and his family resettled — the zipper to her bridal gown broke.
Jo Du had been anxiously waiting for her moment to walk down the aisle and become a wife. However, when the zipper on her dress broke just minutes before her wedding was scheduled to begin, Du went into panic mode.
When it became clear that the bride and her wedding party were mildly freaking out, the wedding photographer, Lindsay Coulter, went to the next door neighbors to see if they could help. Little did they know, their new neighbor of four days was a Syrian refugee from Aleppo who worked as a tailor for 28 years.
Ibrahim Halil Dudu and his son had been taken in by Canadian resident David Hobson. When Coulter asked Hobson if anyone had any sewing tools, he knew he could provide something even better.
The only issue was that Ibrahim didn’t speak a word of English. However, Hobson knew that with Google Translate and body language, they could get the job done.
“I was so excited and so happy,” Ibrahim Halil Dudu said through a translator. “I like to help Canadian people from my heart.”
After Ibrahim finished his work on the dress, Jo Du and her new husband Earl Lee could not have been more appreciative of the Syrian stranger.
“We did reach David by phone that same afternoon and asked him to send our gratitude to Halil,” Lee said. “We are both extremely grateful to him for saving the day and plan to reach out to him for a more personal thank you later.”
Coulter shared the story to her Facebook page and immediately it became a viral hit. Ibrahim has been offered many jobs since the story broke, but for now he want to concentrate on learning English.
Jean G. Thomas
Wow! From tailor to “savior” in one cross-stitch!