Paul McHugh, 55, from Huyton, met 25-year-old Bridget Lura on DatingAsia and is now trying to raise money for their beach wedding in the Philippines planned for October this year
Paul McHugh and Bridget Lura at their engagement party(Image: Paul McHugh)
A bloke is hoping to raise nearly £30,000 so he can wed his Filipino fiancée who he encountered on “Asian Tinder” last year.
Paul McHugh from Huyton had been searching for ‘the one’ after parting ways with his ex-wife in 2022 and after striking out in Merseyside, turned to cyberspace for assistance. The 55-year-old signed up to DatingAsia in August 2025, where he encountered 25-year-old Bridget Lura.
The couple began chatting, exchanged contact details and video called several times daily before Paul summoned the nerve to travel over 6,700 miles to the Philippines. Speaking to the ECHO, Paul revealed they “hit it off immediately.”
He said: “I wanted to find myself a new other half. I found this profile, Bridget, that I liked and sent her a message. We didn’t stop talking, calling five or six times a day. So, I plucked up the courage to go and meet her.
“She’s from Davao but we met in Manila airport in September. I flew from Manchester Airport. We spent two weeks together and hit it off straight away.
“On our first date we went to the condos where we were staying to put our suitcases away. We ended up going to Popeyes then had a walk around. We spent a few days there then went to Balaki Island.”, reports the Liverpool Echo.
“Before I left I told her I’d come back at Christmas and booked my plane ticket back there and then. Her mum says I’m the best person Bridget’s ever had, we’re really happy.”
In December 2025, Paul caught his flight from Manchester Airport back to the Philippines, where he spent three weeks meeting Bridget’s family, including her seven-year-old son Devin. While there, “in front of everyone,” Paul got down on one knee and asked Bridget to marry him.
Back in Merseyside, Paul has been frantically attempting to put money aside to cover the wedding costs, with plans for Bridget and her son to relocate to Huyton to live with him.
Paul said: “I’d been working on and off away at sea and driving buses but Bridget wanted me to have a stable job. I start at Stagecoach next month as a full-time bus driver but I’ve not yet been able to save up much money for the wedding.”
On top of saving and managing to get by, Paul has been covering Bridget’s living expenses in Davao. He said: “When I met her she was living in a poxy-little room, it was tiny, you couldn’t even stretch your arms out in the kitchen and all she had was this tiny little camping stove to cook meals on. She had nothing for herself and her son.
“I told her to get somewhere decent to live and I agreed to pay for it. I send her money for groceries and sent her money to get all new furniture when she moved in. I wanted her to have a normal life. So, I’ve been paying for both our places to live, so I’m struggling to save for the wedding and I don’t want Bridget to stress.”
Paul and Bridget are planning to tie the knot on a beach in the Philippines this October, but he’s fretting that he won’t be able to scrape together the £30,000 they’ll need to cover the wedding, honeymoon and relocation expenses.
He confessed: “I’ve tried everything. I’ve now set up a GoFundMe as a last resort to raise money to get married. We’d love to honeymoon in Singapore and Thailand before she moves to Huyton too. I’ve done everything I can, I’m stressing out. It’s brought me to tears several times, I just don’t know where I’ll get £30,000 from.”
Paul continued: “We both love each other very much, we just want to be happy. I also need to pay to fly out in August so we can set things in place for our October wedding and spend time with my fiancée. I’m working all the overtime I can.”
Paul and Bridget are aiming to raise £4,500 towards their wedding through their GoFundMe, which can be found here.
