I married a man I met on vacation after four weeks together... despite needing Google translate to communicate
Natalie Badura, 34, fell for security guard Muhammet Çelik, 26, when she met him at a cocktail bar abroad – despite the pair barely being able to speak the same language.
After weeks of communicating through Google Translate, the couple quickly realized their connection was real, but time wasn't on their side.
Natalie's visa was about to expire, and neither of them wanted to face the prospect of being apart.
They explored every possible option to keep her in Turkey legally, from applying for visa extensions to checking different permits, but nothing seemed to work out fast enough.
With the clock ticking, they made the bold choice to get married – and the pair officially became husband and wife in a simple $100 ceremony earlier this year.
'Looking back, it all feels like a whirlwind – crazy and magical all at once,' Natalie, who is originally from Seattle, told What's The Jam recently.
'We had no idea how it would work out, but sometimes love just doesn't wait for perfect timing or perfect plans.
'It was a leap of faith, and I'm so glad we took it. There are no regrets, just happiness.'
Natalie had lived in Spain for three months before meeting her now-husband on December 1, 2024.
Wanting a fresh start somewhere new, she initially decided to move to Valencia after her lease ended back in the States.
But problems with her documents meant she had to leave the country while sorting them out.
So she decided to spend a few weeks in Turkey – where she met Muhammet on a night out in Bodrum that she'll never forget.
She dished: 'We went to this cocktail bar because we wanted to hear a DJ and have some good drinks.
'I was with two guy friends and Muhammet was working as security.
'At first, he was too shy to talk to me because he didn't really speak English, and I didn't speak Turkish.
'One of my friends went outside to smoke, and that's when Muhammet started chatting with him, trying to figure out how to get my Instagram without talking to me directly.
'The next morning, I woke up to a message from him on Instagram asking, "Where did you go?"
'I didn't see it until much later, and when I finally replied, we started chatting back and forth.'
The pair eventually met up in person, and using Google Translate, they quickly formed a strong bond.
'I could feel something special straight away,' Natalie continued. 'Even though we barely spoke, there was this amazing energy between us.
'We were laughing so much, just passing the phone back and forth to translate. It was honestly like something out of a movie.'
The couple researched every possible visa extension and legal route to keep Natalie in Turkey, desperate to avoid the heartbreak of separation.
Then Muhammet made a bold move.
Natalie said: 'He just looked at me and said, "I will marry you. I want you to stay here with me." I thought, "Wait, what? We've only known each other for a month!"
'But I knew I felt the same. It was crazy, but it just felt right. Usually, I'm the kind of person who needs my space; I don't like being around someone 24/7.
'But with him, it is different. I feel comfortable, like I've known him forever.'
Natalie had to fly to Ankara to get the necessary documents, including proving she wasn't already married.
The pair tied the knot at a courthouse the day before Natalie's visa expired on January 15, 2025.
'It was stressful, but we didn't give up. I was determined to make it work,' Natalie shared.
'When we finally went to the municipality with all our documents, the lady was shocked we'd done it all in two weeks.
'We signed the papers in a room with two judges, then went to a café with friends. We had a mini cake, Turkish tea and lots of laughs.
When Natalie told friends and family about marrying someone she'd only known for a month, she was met with plenty of surprise – but also a lot of support
'I wore a white buttoned shirt and some dress pants – we weren't spending a fortune, it was about love, not the money.'
When Natalie told friends and family about marrying someone she'd only known for a month, she was met with plenty of surprise – but also a lot of support.
She said, 'Everyone was shocked at first, but they were really happy for me.
'My closest friends were all super encouraging, and my mum told me, 'As long as he treats you well and it's what you want, I'll support you.'
'It's my life and my happiness. I'm not here to follow anyone else's timeline or expectations.
'Sometimes you have to trust your gut and take that leap, no matter what anyone else thinks.'
Now happily married and living together in Bodrum, Natalie and Muhammet are building a life full of adventure.
The pair are trying to grow their TikTok account, and the security guard is even trying to break into the modelling industry.
Natalie said she now believes that taking the risk was the best decision she ever made.
She concluded, 'Sometimes life surprises you in the best way when you least expect it.
'I married my holiday crush after just one month, and I couldn't be happier.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Stacey Solomon strikes up sweet friendship with 'down to earth' Molly-Mae Hague on Turkish holiday after meeting at dinner as she issues invitation to Pickle Cottage
Stacey Solomon has revealed she's struck up a sweet friendship with Molly-Mae Hague after their pair met at dinner during their respective holidays to Turkey. Both the Sort Your Life Out host, 35, and the Love Island star, 26, were holidaying separately with their families at the five star Regnum The Crown in Belek this month. And Stacey took to Instagram on Sunday to gush over her newfound friendship with the star, before issuing an invitation to Molly-Mae, partner Tommy Fury, 26, and daughter Bambi, two, to visit her Pickle Cottage home. Sharing a beaming snap of herself and Molly-Mae with their arms wrapped around each other, Stacey penned: 'Got to spend the first part of our holiday with @MollyMae, @TommyFury and Bambi. Bumped into them at dinner one night and fell in love. 'Genuinely the nicest, most down to earth family. And Bambi omg I can't. Just the most kind hearted little one. Rose was gutted when she left! 'Can't wait for them to come to pickle cottage.' Stacey also uploaded a snap of her son Leighton, 12, posing with Tommy and a pal as she told how her boys were 'buzzing' to meet the boxer. While Molly-Mae is yet to share her own tribute to her new pal, she did re-share Stacey's post, adding love heart and teary eye emojis. Stacey's gushing post comes after she and husband Joe Swash let loose at the wild adults pool party as they enjoyed a child-free afternoon on their family holiday in Turkey. The TV personality looked nothing short of sensational as she showed off her figure in a cream bikini. Meanwhile, Joe went shirtless and wore black trunks while dancing with other attendees at the party. The pair couldn't stop laughing as they jumped on a large pink inflatable flamingo, before putting on a loved-up display in the pool. Alongside the clip, Stacey wrote: 'Mum & Dad. Also once upon a time known as Stacey & Joe. For one hour today we were them again. Forever Grateful for the craft afternoon at the kids club love you @joeswash' Elsewhere, Stacey shared loved-up snaps with her husband Joe after having to clarify his whereabouts on their family holiday. The pair couldn't stop laughing as they jumped on a large pink inflatable flamingo, before putting on a loved-up display in the pool She took to Instagram on Tuesday to share clips from a date night on the beach with Joe during their trip. Despite previously sharing a sweet family snap with her spouse on the holiday, Stacey took to her Stories on Sunday to clarify that Joe was with her on the trip after fans queried where he was. The star posted a loved-up snap with her husband, writing: 'For everyone asking... of course Joe's here, but we have five kids so anyone with kids knows you're always on split shifts. Here's a rare photo of us from last night.' Again proving he was on the trip, Stacey shared that her sister Samantha Stone had taken the kids to the disco so that she and Joe could enjoy a rare date night. 'Mum and dad,' Stacey captioned a sweet selfie of her and Joe sipping rose wine on the beach. Stacey also shared a clip where Joe was driving them to the beach on a gold buggy, before he kissed her forehead. She later posted another video of her and Joe lying on a bench on the beach giving fans an insight into their evening.
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
NBA icon Dennis Rodman fires brutal shot at Travis Hunter and his controversial relationship with wife Leanna Lenee
Former NBA champion Dennis Rodman took a shot at Jacksonville Jaguars rookie sensation Travis Hunter over the situation with the Heisman Trophy winner's now-wife. Despite many suggesting that Lenee was taking advantage of the fame of the two-way talent, Hunter tied the knot this summer and has been happily married for months. But Rodman doesn't seem to buy it. The 64-year-old appeared on a recent stream of YouTuber N3on. 'A 21-year-old young man, what advice could you give me to evolve as a human being?' the streamer asked. After a pause, Rodman replied, 'Just don't be Travis Hunter,' before bursting into laughter. 'I'm sorry, breaking news, what the hell... I don't give a s**t if it's real or not, s**t, it's fake news.' Over the past year, Lenee has been at the center of a firestorm of hate from online commenters - especially over perceived slights directed at Hunter - during the 2024 college football season. That season ended with Hunter winning the Heisman Trophy, the second ever won by a player from the University of Colorado, and led to him getting picked second-overall by Jacksonville. A few weeks later, Hunter and Lenee would tie the knot in Tennessee at a glamorous wedding following years of dating. But those years of affection and dating were ignored by trolls who lobbed accusations of gold digging and fame hunting toward Lenee throughout 2024. Recently, Lenee showed an insight into how that hatred affected her. In a post to Tik Tok last month, she posted footage of her from back in December - crying fresh out of the shower. The post had the sound of a Church sermon playing behind it while Lenee spoke into the camera. However, nothing that she said was audible. Instead, context for the footage was given in the caption of the video. 'I wish I could go back and hug December me, because oh baby, God was about to change your heart in the most important and beautiful way,' Lenee wrote. 'I don't even recognize this girl anymore. The amount you can grown [sic] and develop in just 6 months of devoting your life to Jesus and getting away from the shackles of the world and social media is truly astounding. Lenee shared video of herself from back in December, showing her crying out of the shower 'I wish the peace I found within Jesus on everyone who reads this. Your identity in him matters, not how people choose to perceive you.' Comments under the video were supportive, including one from WNBA superstar Angel Reese which read, 'so proud of you bb! the storm doesn't last forever!' 2024 was a rocky season for Lenee and Hunter's relationship as the public cast doubts on Lenee's motives for dating the star. This forced Lenee to defend herself in a lengthy eight-minute video posted after Hunter won the Heisman. As Hunter was announced as the winner of the prestigious award, Lenee initially remained sitting while Hunter's mother and Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders stood up. She briefly stood and gave Hunter a hug after Sanders appeared to tap her, but promptly sat back down as Hunter continued embracing his group. Fans took issue with what they believed to be a slight, sparking horrific backlash on social media. It's one of many perceived snubs Lenee had to address. Others included a tense moment after a game against Oklahoma State and some comments she made as Hunter was taking photos with female fans during a pre-Heisman photo shoot . On a Twitch stream after the ceremony, Hunter revealed that Lenee had cried herself to sleep as she continued to be pelted with criticism. 'She's still sleeping, she's slumped,' the Heisman winner shared on a Twitch stream. 'You know when you're hurt but you just cry yourself to sleep and you just be gone? She drunk [sic], like, an OD amount tonight for no reason.' Hunter told people to stop targeting her, specifically calling out 'clickbait' pages, social media accounts, and websites. 'Clickbait pages stop, y'all better stop I'm telling y'all. Something bad is gonna happen to y'all [if you] keep doing that. Y'all better stop that. I ain't playing,' he said. 'Y'all hate on me then you go hate on my girl,' the two-way star continued. 'I feel the same thing that she feels. We're inseparable. We're with each other. If she's hurting, I'm hurting.'
The Review Geek
11 hours ago
- The Review Geek
Beyond the Bar – K-drama Episode 6 Recap & Review
Love is an Impairment Episode 6 of Beyond the Bar begins with a beautifully constructed montage, exploring a love story between Seol Eun-yeong and Jung Han-seok. Unfortunately, this love story turns sour as we discover Han-seok is a total sleazeball. He's a high-flying CEO for a mobile game company called Marble Soft, and he uses that influence to woo women. In the street, Eun-yeong winds up finding him with another woman. Its been 3 months since their break-up and its still stinging her deeply. Eun-yeong wants to sue her ex-boyfriend for abuse she's suffered, so she shows up at Yullim with her case. She happens to have scars all up her back from their bedroom antics. Eun-yeong has sensitive skin so keloid scars are more likely to show up for her. Unfortunately, she works as a model so obviously these scars are a complete dealbreaker for her. To complicate matters, Han-seok made Eun-yeong sign a consent form for physicality in the bedroom. As a result, Yullim need to argue whether what he did constitutes as assault beyond consensual bedroom antics. Hyo-min argues that Eun-yeong's blinding love and lack of judgment could be calls for her being in an impaired state when she signed. It's certainly unconventional and Seok-hoon gives it some good thought before deciding they may be onto something here. It makes sense, especially as we learn Eun-yeong actually isn't into masochism and they broke up when she refused to carry on. He emotionally manipulated her, going from blinding hot and love-bombing her to sudden ice-cold indifference. After a month, he reached out and they got back together. That's when the abusive sex occurred again, with Eun-yeong believing she had no other choice but to agree. The chances of winning are very remote here but the only valid argument they have is for Eun-yeong not being mentally competent. Interestingly, Han-seok runs into Hyo-min that night at a bar. He tries to chat up Hyo-min and her friends after buying them drinks. Hyo-min is a little frazzled and she even lets him manipulate her a little, taking her ponytail out and letting her hair down. While this is going on, Na-yeon settles into her role as the new Director of the company. She looks set to shake things up at Yullim Law Firm. It's also worth noting here that she's the first female in her 40's leading the company. Seok-hoon is obviously on her side and there's a huge target on Na-yeon's back from the partners who are unhappy that she's helming the ship. They need to crack on with restructuring, but that also means that not everybody is going to make it out of this in one piece. Seok-hoon and Na-yeon go over the numbers and see (to absolutely no surprise) that most senior advisors and former officials are throwing the balance off with their pay and bonus system. They need to change this quickly. That night, the team head out for drinks and food. Seok-hoon is notably absent but he does rock up afterwards, right as Hyo-min is drunk and slurring her words. He agrees to take her home but she's a bit of a mess. He looks after her while Hyo-min hilariously clutches his handkerchief and doesn't shy away from how much she likes him. Also out on this night out is Jin-woo, who calls Min-jeong and asks for help. It's here we learn a bit more about Heo Min-jeong. She has her own experience with a manipulative partner, Dae-won. In the past, Min-jeong was overweight and not particularly motivated. Dae-won demanded a divorce from her, and to make matters worse, he's been having an affair with his mistress. If that wasn't enough, they even have a daughter together, So-hyeon, although she wants the pair to get divorced. All of this occurred 7 years ago and after all of this, Min-jeong shed the weight, exercised and ate better too. The woman he was having an affair with is the same woman who showed up at the firm several episodes ago, wanting Min-jeong to oversee her divorce case from Dae-won. This explains why she vehemently refused to entertain this idea. Lee Jin-woo wakes up over at her place in the morning and suspects the worst. Min-jeong clears everything up, teases him over liking her and even admits she has a 20 year old daughter too. Back at the firm, the abusive ex case takes an awkward turn when Han-seok shows up for the preliminary hearing. Hyo-min can barely look at him but he calls her out and demands that he speak to her privately with everybody else out the room. This conversation involves Han-seok handing Hyo-min a blank cheque and encouraging her to write whatever number Eun-yeong wants. Han-seok sounds convincing, especially when he tells her that he's not a perv or sadist, and doesn't want his 'erotic expression' getting out. In exchange, Eun-yeong will need to sign an NDA and not mention it again. Just to add fuel to the fire, it turns out that Han-seok actually recorded their encounter together so there's video proof of the acts together. After chatting to her privately, Han-seok crosses the line, undoing her hair again while Hyo-min just stands dumbfounded. Seok-hoon is not happy (is there a tinge of jealousy here?) and calls her a cheap attorney for crossing the line. Hyo-min apparently just wanted to get a feel for the sort of person they're dealing with, but it's certainly awkward. Seong-chan is also rattled too, phoning Hyo-min at the office and hung up over what her ties with Han-seok are. She predictably refuses to engage. Hyo-min sits with Seok-hoon that night over coffee and the pair discuss this case. Seok-hoon believes that this is an emotionally charged lawsuit and just like her initial pitch back in episode 1 to him, people turn to these sort of lawsuits when the pain is just too much to handle. Seok-hoon tells Hyo-min to check the NDA and present it Eun-yeong as long as it's not one-sided and benefits them both. Hyo-min does just this and as this isn't about the money but more pride and hurt, she only wants to cover her medical and lawyer expenses with this cheque. Eun-yeong sticks up for herself in the face of Han-seok while signing the NDA (which has been changed to make it better for her too). Han-seok immediately tries it on with Hyo-min but this time she puts him in his place. That night, Seok-hoon is back home but unfortunately, he receives a surprise visitor at the door… The Episode Review So this episode centers on a tricky case of consent and love impairment. It's an interesting argument to make and one that does ring true. We've all done silly things in the name of love and Beyond the Bar presents this in a way that makes sense for Eun-yeong and her situation involving Han-seok. This guy is a total sleazeball and the worst kind of 'pretty boy', using his looks to get what he wants and taking pleasure in the misery of others. He's a master manipulator and easily manages to twist people around his finger. Eun-yeong manages to get some of her empowering energy back at the end though in a nice touch, while Hyo-min also finally finds her voice too. Beyond that though, this episode features deepening ties between Soek-hoon and Hyo-min, who are still dancing around how they feel about one another. The restructuring of Yullim is also going to cause some serious teething issues, so there is that, but largely the show has left everything on a big cliffhanger for next week. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
