Love Found A Way Through The Covid Wedding

On March 15th, after the president's address to the nation, I turned to my husband and asked, “What do we do now?” Fear gripped my heart, and my eyes were nearly filled with tears. We had spent countless sleepless nights planning our wedding, and just a week before the big day, the president announced a ban on all public gatherings, including church events. The worry on my fiancé's face was evident. I asked again, “What’s our next step, dear?”

He paused for a moment, then suggested, “Let’s call the pastor tomorrow and see what options we have.” I inquired, “What do you think those options are?” He replied, “We have only one choice: to get married next week, but we need to figure out how.”

The following morning, he called the pastor, and I sat beside him on the sofa with the phone on speaker. The pastor asked, “Can you postpone?” Eddie glanced at me, and I shook my head. The pastor continued, “The ban lasts only four weeks. This gives you more time to plan and consider your next steps after the wedding.” My husband looked at me again, and I shook my head and waved my hands to indicate that postponing was not an option. He then asked the pastor, “If we don’t want to postpone, what are our alternatives?”

Once more, my husband looked at me, and I gave him a thumbs up.

“Okay, if you don’t want to postpone, you can still go ahead, but it will have to be in an empty chapel,” the pastor said. My husband turned to me, and I remained silent, contemplating how strange it would feel to say “I do” to empty pews and fans. My heart raced as he awaited my response. Finally, I nodded. He told the pastor, “We don’t mind as long as our two families can be there to witness the occasion.”

The pastor replied, “That’s not a bad idea, but I need to consult some authorities to clarify the president’s statement. Funerals can proceed with only twenty-five attendees, but he didn’t mention weddings. Let me check and get back to you.”

That morning, we drafted the hardest message of our lives, informing people that they couldn’t attend our wedding due to COVID-19. We sent messages to friends on WhatsApp and called those we needed to reach. Most were sympathetic, asking, “What’s next?” Some suggested, “Forget corona and let’s have the wedding.” A few inquired about the expenses we had already incurred.

Later that day, we contacted the food vendor to cancel preparations since we wouldn’t need any food. She replied, “But I’ve already purchased everything. A refund won’t be possible.” My husband asked, “Not even if we split the cost?” She responded, “Everything has been bought.” I took the phone from him and said, “Go ahead and prepare the food. We’ll come pick it up.”

Next, we called the decorator to inform her we wouldn’t need her services due to the circumstances. She was very understanding and said, “That’s unfortunate. I’ll issue a refund in the coming days, but if your hotel allows it, I can decorate your honeymoon room for you.”

We reached out to everyone we had agreements with. Most were kind enough to waive fees, some agreed to split costs, and a few didn’t mind at all. The next day, the pastor called, “I spoke to someone in authority, and he confirmed that twenty-five people are allowed. If you want to proceed, it must be limited to that number.” We replied, “Yes, we’ll go ahead.”

On Thursday, the food vendor called us back, “I’ve reconsidered. I’ll refund 50% of the money so you won’t waste it on food no one will eat.” We agreed.

Early Friday morning, we held a very small traditional wedding with a total of sixteen attendees, including the photographer. We enjoyed ourselves, and nothing felt amiss. On Saturday morning, I took my father’s arm and walked down the aisle of an empty church toward my husband. In my mind, the church was filled with people cheering and shouting “dondooo!” Though no one could hear it, I could. It was my wedding.

The entire ceremony lasted only 45 minutes and concluded with “I declare you husband and wife.” I could almost hear the cheers that followed. My best friend Nancy’s voice was the loudest, even though she wasn’t there. We took our pictures and left the church.

That evening, we arrived at our hotel room and were amazed by the decorations. Gold and white curtains adorned the space, and an oval-shaped flower bouquet rested on the headboard of our bed, illuminated by flickering lights. I ran and jumped onto the bed, and my husband followed. On the small table beside the bed, we found a large card that read, “Love will find a way. Always.”

Our story captured in just five words by our decorator.

—Hetty

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