A Couple’s Wedding Photoshoot Interrupted By A Stranger, Whose Offer They Can’t Resist (Exclusive)

The roof overlooks Chicago’s Navy Pier

Nichole Babiez was on her way from Walden Chicago to the Art Institute with Brittany and Alex Hall to take bridal photos of the couple when the bride suddenly noticed a building with gold revolving doors.

Babiez, a luxury traveling wedding photographer based in Chicago, fondly remembers Brittany seizing the opportunity to perform and walking through the doors, with Alex following suit.

As she observed and photographed the couple, a stranger entering the building suddenly turned and approached the group.

“He asked us if we wanted to use the roof for half an hour to take photos,” Babiez exclusively told PEOPLE. “We were truly shocked by this generosity, because after photographing weddings in the city for almost eight years, this has never happened.”

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The stranger, Asharafal, then took the group to the rooftop, where he said they could take all the photos they wanted, with the cityscape as a picturesque backdrop.

“They were beyond excited for this opportunity and were really excited to create with the skyline! They are from Wisconsin and we planned this shoot,” shares Babiez, adding that they spent about 15 to 20 minutes on the roof which overlooked Navy Pier. .

“They were thrilled to get the photos of their dreams in Chicago, so being offered the roof over their heads was the icing on the cake!” adds the photographer.

After the photoshoot, Babiez posted about the encounter on TikTok in hopes of reuniting with the stranger.

To his surprise, the video went viral, garnering over 900,000 views and even catching the attention of a friend of the stranger on TikTok, who put Babiez in touch with him. When she asked him why he did what he did, his response was comforting.

“As for why I did what I did. I am Jordanian and in our culture kindness, respect and hospitality are deeply rooted, partly because of the guidance of the Islamic religion and partly because that’s exactly who we are,” he said. replied.

He continued: “I thought what I did was normal, to be completely honest with you, nice maybe, but not that kind, so seeing the comments, it gave me a little saddened to see that this simple gesture made some people think, “There are nice people there.” …I realized that here, in general, everyone is alone and a helping hand is not always there, if ever. But overall, I am very happy to see these beautiful photos and. I hope everything is okay !”

Looking back on that day, Babiez explains how working on weekends in a busy city can be difficult. She says she is often the subject of dirty looks, kicked out of public places or even receives snide comments regarding marriage.

But the chance meeting with Asharafal reinforced the photographer’s love for the city.

“You really never know who you’re going to meet, and a small act of kindness can go a long way,” she told PEOPLE. “Chicago can sometimes get a bad reputation, but this made us fall in love with our city and its people even more.”

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