Paul said he’s working all the overtime he can to raise the money for a dream wedding
Paul McHugh and Bridget Lura at their engagement party(Image: Paul McHugh)
A man is hoping to raise nearly £30,000 so he can marry his Filipino fiancée who he met on “Asian Tinder” last year. Paul McHugh from Huyton had been waiting to meet ‘the one’ after splitting from his ex-wife in 2022 and after finding no luck in Merseyside, turned to the internet for help.
The 55-year-old joined DatingAsia in August 2025, where he met 25-year-old Bridget Lura. The pair started messaging, swapped numbers and video called multiple times a day before Paul plucked up the courage to fly over 6,700 miles to the Philippines.
Speaking to the ECHO, Paul said 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.
“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 boarded 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 desperately trying to save money to pay for the wedding, with plans on Bridget and her son moving 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 affording to live, Paul has been paying for Bridget’s life 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 hoping to get married on a beach in the Philippines in October, later this year but he’s panicking he won’t be able to save up the £30,000 they’ll need to cover the wedding, honeymoon and moving costs.
He said: “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 added: “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 hope to raise £4,500 towards the wedding through their GoFundMe, you can find it here.
