Love in Times of Crisis: How Binance Pay Made a Dream Wedding Come True

Main Takeaways

• This is a true story how cryptocurrency, through Binance Pay, helped a couple in exile celebrate their dream wedding with their loved ones. All names and locations in this story have been anonymised to protect the privacy of everyone involved. 

• Over the past decade, country X has been chronically embroiled in a series of severe political, economic and humanitarian crises. 

• To many people in country X grappling with socioeconomic crises just like the couple in our spotlight today, cryptocurrency and Binance have become indispensable, game-changing tools improving their livelihood and giving them financial access to build a better future. 

Bram, a digital marketing director and UX/UI specialist, met his decade-younger future wife, Zenia, at a coworking space in his hometown in country X in 2019, right before Covid-19 struck. 

By 2019, Bram had built a good career as a tech marketer. He began getting deeper into the world of cryptocurrency, using Binance to strengthen his financial situation through a combination of trading, longer-term investing, and cryptocurrency savings products. A resourceful and visionary go-getter, Bram was deeply attracted to the cheerful and bubbly personality of Zenia, who had just graduated from the university. At a time when country X’s socioeconomic and political crises destroyed lives and created so much instability and anxiety among its people, Zenia’s optimistic and positive life outlook was exceptional, even courageous.

When they first met at the coworking space, they were both working remotely for companies abroad, as the situation in the local job market was quite grim. Along with the spread of the Covid-19 virus, electrical blackouts and violent mass protests swept through the country every other day. Reports on death, starvation, and riots were the daily staple on the TV and newspapers. It was almost miraculous that despite this chaotic background, Bram and Zenia found love in each other’s arms. 

As the political tensions in country X deepened and intensified, so did their love story. After almost two years dating and surviving the ongoing crises together, on 14 February 2021, as a Valentine gift to Zenia, Bram arranged their escape to the neighbouring country, Y. 

The Tragedy of X

For more than a decade, country X has been wrecked by one of the most severe economic and humanitarian crises in the world. Mismanagement of the economy, coupled with the collapse of global prices of its main commodity, along with brutal political struggle, accelerated the country's downward spiral. 

The results have been catastrophic: hyperinflation, mass shortages of food and medicine, and a healthcare system on the verge of collapse. Millions of country X’s citizens now struggle to access basic necessities, and in some areas, malnutrition and preventable diseases have surged, leaving the nation grappling with a humanitarian disaster. Millions more left the country as migrant workers and asylum seekers. 

Country X has experienced one of the most extreme cases of hyperinflation in modern history. This led to the near-total collapse of the national currency, making daily life unaffordable for many. In practical terms, the country’s currency has lost almost all of its value. Many people had turned to using the U.S. dollar in day-to-day transactions to cope with the devaluation of the national currency. 

Love Against All Odds

For those who have fled, life remains fraught with difficulty. While safety and stability may have improved, these refugees face new challenges: finding work, navigating foreign legal systems, and, perhaps most poignantly, being separated from loved ones left behind in their home country. The dream of reuniting with family, especially for significant milestones like weddings or births, is often hindered by financial and bureaucratic barriers, with many struggling to return home or bring family members across borders.

Bram and Zenia were no exception. In the capital city of country Y, Bram found a job selling solar panels for a multinational company, and Zenia joined a large multinational corporation as well. Even though they enjoyed more peace and stability, each day they were plagued with worries and anxieties about the situation of their loved ones back home. Bram’s father was suffering from a serious medical condition and Zenia’s mother passed away from Covid-19, yet they were unable to go back to country X to tend to their parents. 

Traveling in and out of country X is a nerve-wrecking ordeal, fraught with risks posed by changing regulations and restrictions. According to Bram, flights in country X now cost around three to five times more than the market price, due to inconsistency of border regulations, economic sanctions, and fuel crisis. 

Conducting any sort of financial transaction in and out of the country has also become a pain. Besides persistent currency devaluation, the government has imposed all sorts of bans and restrictions around capital movement, which was part of the hyper-populist political agenda that was all about protecting country X from “foreign influence.”

In Y, Bram doubled down on his cryptocurrency activities and investment. He became a full convert having experienced first-hand how crypto could be used as a powerful tool to promote financial inclusion and freedom for many people, especially those living under volatile governments and unstable economies. 

Bram and Zenia used Binance products to preserve and grow their wealth and have come to rely on Binance Pay to conduct many financial transactions, trusting it more than local banks as crypto and fintech platforms were gaining rapid adoption throughout country X and the rest of the region. 

“People may say that crypto is volatile, but to people from X, whose currency already lost all of its value over a decade, crypto is a safe haven, a life savior, a hedge in times of crisis,” explained Bram. He also joined the Binance Angel program, championing cryptocurrency education through public events.

An Extraordinary Binance Pay Wedding

On February 14, 2023, to celebrate the second anniversary of starting a new life in country Y, Bram proposed to Zenia, to a resounding yes. They wanted to have a wedding that all of their family and friends could attend, but how dooes one pull that off amid all the travel and economic restrictions? This was when Binance Pay came to the rescue, providing an efficient way for the couple to manage their wedding-related finances. 

They set up a sheet for their budget and listed all the vendors and wedding planners they wanted to hire in country X. They taught everyone they worked with – all the vendors and the planners – on how to open a Binance account and how to use Binance Pay. 

With Binance Pay, Bram and Zenia were able to transfer crypto assets from abroad quickly and easily. Every transaction was settled within seconds, instead of days, with zero risk of frequent blockages that they would have been subjected to had they used traditional banking services. They were also able to pay in USDT, and this stablecoin was accepted readily in country X, a welcome alternative to their highly unstable currency. 

Bram and Zenia paid for their wedding venue remotely through Binance Pay. Note: This image has been generated with AI based on sources’ real photo.

“It’s almost like we started this trend of using Binance Pay, and everyone we interacted with for the wedding was adopting the platform with excitement. They were like: ‘How have we never heard of this before? This is truly a life saver!’” Bram recounted happily. 

“We hired about ten different vendors and we taught everyone how to use Binance Pay, including our alcohol vendor, a family firm run by an elderly couple. We paid our venue deposit with Binance Pay. The venue provider agreed that it was best to use Binance Pay and wanted the second tranche to be paid through it as well.” 

Bram and Zenia traveled to their wedding with flight tickets bought with Binance Pay. Note: This image has been generated with AI based on sources’ real photo. 

In addition, Bram and Zenia had wedding guests traveling to country X and buying tickets and accommodation through Binance Pay. Some of them sent wedding gifts via Pay as well. 

“Our wedding officially became a Binance Pay wedding,” Bram laughed. “Without Binance Pay, we would not be able to pull this off. Our friends and family members who attended have become Binance Pay users.” 

Next, came the challenging part: traveling into the country. The couple used Binance Pay to buy tickets to fly to the border of Y and X, then took an overland vehicle to cross the border into their hometown. 

The beautiful wedding became a dream come true for the couple in exile. Everything ran perfectly. Zenia looked radiant in orange-coloured hair fixed with pearls and a long flowing white gown. Bram sported a smart yellow turtleneck, dinner jacket and jeans, and he was palpably teary-eyed most of the ceremony. They were so happy to be able to celebrate and consecrate their love at home, in front of all of their family members, relatives, and long-time friends. 

The couple’s first kiss on their wedding night. Note: This image has been generated with AI based on sources’ real photo.  

“You just don’t understand how precious these moments are for us, in times of crisis like what we have been through,” Bram said, visibly emotional. “It is really heartbreaking to face so many hurdles just to do things that other people take for granted in other parts of the world, just to have a beautiful day with people that you love the most. If it weren't for Binance Pay, we wouldn’t be able to celebrate this life milestone together. I can’t thank Binance enough for empowering us.” 

Bram and Zenia celebrated their love with their family and closest relatives. Note: This image has been generated with AI based on sources’ real photo. 

Bram was heartened to see that Binance Pay was getting a lot of traction in their hometown and the rest of country X. During their trip, they were able to use it to pay for many things including transportation, dining, and medical care. Bram believes that cryptocurrency is the solution for country X’s many problems, and he is determined to do this part in educating more people about cryptocurrency through Binance Angels’ programs and initiatives. 

The lovebirds were recently blessed with a beautiful daughter. They started a Binance Earn account for the little one, to save up for her university education. 

“To people like us, Binance and crypto are more than just a passing fad. We truly believe in the revolutionary power of this technology. Binance and cryptocurrency represent financial freedom, a tool that can empower us to build a better tomorrow for ourselves and our future generation.” 

Further Reading 

• Medical Aid Across Borders: How Binance Pay Helped Save a Life

• Binance Debuts ‘Crypto Is Better’ Content Series Highlighting User Journeys

• Binance Announces Send Cash in Latin America