A bitter friendship split appears to have overshadowed the extravagant wedding celebrations of Bondi playboy Andy El Bayeh and his Melbourne socialite bride, Raquelle Saba.
El Bayeh, the CEO of culture agency Example, married Saba — who is known online as Red Shiraz — in Beirut over the weekend. Scores of guests travelled to Lebanon’s picturesque Mediterranean coast for the lavish occasion.
Yet beyond the feasting, dancing and drinking, an apparent social divide has sparked speculation among Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs crowd.
Mel Coates, once the closest friend of El Bayeh’s first wife, wealthy socialite Harriet Williams, has publicly backed the newlyweds.
The brunette has been liking Raquelle’s posts in the lead-up to the wedding, including an image of the glamorous podcaster wearing a white dress two weeks before the ceremony.
“Practicing wearing white,” Raquelle wrote alongside the post.
Mel Coates (left), the former close friend of Andy El Bayeh’s wealthy socialite ex-wife Harriet Williams (right), has publicly supported his new bride, Raquelle Saba.
Coates has liked Raquelle’s pre-wedding Instagram posts, including this image of the podcaster in a white dress shared two weeks before the wedding.
Insiders say Mel ended her friendship with Harriet shortly after Harriet’s 2024 split from Andy, before aligning herself with her former best friend’s ex-husband and, later, his new wife.
Mel also liked the couple’s January 7 engagement announcement, leaving a string of love-heart emojis in the comments.
She also notably liked the couple’s engagement post on January 7, posting a series of love-heart emojis in the captions.
Mel’s social media activity has attracted attention given the reported history between herself and Harriet, who were friends for around two decades.
According to insiders, Mel ended her friendship with Harriet not long after her split from Andy in 2024, and quickly aligned herself with her former best friend’s ex-husband and his new wife.
Tellingly, the former besties no longer follow each other on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Andy and Raquelle looked every bit the glamorous couple as they celebrated their nuptials.
The pair, who have been dating for just over a year, married in Beirut during a seaside ceremony in front of friends and family.
The festivities began with a pre-wedding dinner party, with guests treated to a poolside feast on the grounds of an exquisite 1800s monastery.
Raquelle, who hosts sex and dating podcast Sugar and Spice, opted for a corset-style lace gown that featured a high-low fishtail hemline, designed by Melbourne designer Lillian Khallouf.
Andy, CEO of culture agency Example, wed Raquelle (known online as Red Shiraz) in Beirut over the weekend. (The couple are pictured at their wedding)
Andy and Raquelle put on a glamorous display as they celebrated their marriage over the weekend
The festivities began with a pre-wedding dinner party, with guests treated to a poolside feast on the grounds of an exquisite 1800s monastery
The brunette wore her long hair out in voluminous mermaid waves and accessorised with a diamond tennis necklace.
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Andy, meanwhile, looked suave in a beige suit jacket, black button-down shirt and cream trousers.
A day later, the happy couple exchanged vows at an opulent church before spending the rest of the day dancing and feasting.
Raquelle stunned in an ivory strapless Lillian Khallouf gown with heavy lace detailing and a removable skirt.
She once again wore her hair out and completed her bridal look with a diamond necklace, lace veil and white bouquet.
Andy meanwhile sported a white suit jacket, white button-down shirt and black trousers, paired with a white bow-tie.
Andy was once considered one of the most eligible men in Sydney after splitting from wealthy kinesiologist Harriet after just two years of marriage in 2024.
The popular Eastern Suburbs couple tied the knot in a fairytale $1 million wedding in March 2022 after four years of dating.
A day later, the happy couple exchanged vows at an opulent church before spending the rest of the day dancing and feasting
The happy couple reportedly spent hundreds of thousands on the lavish destination wedding
Andy split from his first wife, Harriet Williams, in 2024, after just two years of marriage
Harriet and Andy tied the knot in a fairytale $1 million wedding in March 2022 after four years of dating
The couple are said to have abruptly ended their six-year relationship during a European holiday with other couples.
Sources close to the couple confirmed the separation to the Daily Telegraph, with the reports shocking Sydney’s social set.
The couple had been posting very loved-up images together as they travelled around Greece and Italy.
However, the pair then unfollowed each other on Instagram amid reports of their very sudden break-up.
In June 2025, Andy confirmed he was off the market again when he was pictured kissing Raquelle in an Instagram post by Wittner Shoes heiress Lucy Rosenberg.
The couple also looked thoroughly loved-up in August as Andy wished Raquelle a happy birthday.
He uploaded a picture of the couple locked in an intimate embrace, with Andy shirtless as Raquelle flaunted her jaw-dropping figure in a brown bikini.
‘Happy Birthday, Hayati,’ he wrote in the caption.
Hayati translates to ‘my life’ in Lebanese Arabic; Andy is Lebanese-Australian.