Coronavirus becomes a wedding crasher of note for SA love birds

A few weeks ago, many of us were fooled into thinking that the coronavirus only affected our health. It is only now that we see the bigger picture, which is, just how much it has affected businesses, people’s social lives, human interaction, the stock exchange and events that truly mean something special to us — such as weddings.

Events such as religious gatherings have now been either cancelled or heavily downscaled due to the coronavirus. As many of us know, our spiritual connection is important and not being able to honour that dedication is quite the stumbling block for some. 

There are those who have had to plan funerals for their loved ones, something essential in honouring the lives they once lived. Now, due to the coronavirus, one has to notify the police before such an event and even limit the number of people who attend. Limiting the number of people who can pay their last respects to someone who was dear to them, is another tragedy on its own. 

Then there are the love birds…those who happily answered “yes” to a gleaming proposal, and set out on a journey to commit to the person they love most. Simply put, those who were planning weddings got hit with a coronavirus roadblock. 

Durban couple forced to change wedding plans due to coronavirus 

A couple in Durban, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the coronavirus hit their wedding planning hard. 

Despite the change in plans and all the hard work that was put into trying to make their union official, the couple said there was at least a bright side. 

The 26-year-old bride-to-be explained that after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that public gatherings of more than 100 people are prohibited, they had to make arrangements to scale down on their guest list. 

“I was devastated because of all the effort we had put into planning, but over and above that, it was just disappointing knowing that we couldn’t celebrate our big day with all our loved ones.” 

The couple had initially wanted a wedding with 240 to 260 guests. However, they have now scaled it down to a guest list of just 20 people. 

The wedding is still scheduled to take place on the same date, which is 25 April 2020. 

As difficult as it was to scale a wedding back by about 240 people, the bride-to-be said the crisis also put things into perspective. 

“On the other hand, it did put into perspective that the most important thing is our union, regardless of the pandemic which is affecting the world. It is a reminder of what’s actually important and what we need to focus on, which is family instead of all the material stuff,” she said. 

The 28-year-old groom-to-be said marriage is more important than a wedding.  

“With just over a month before the wedding and after a year of planning, the disappointment was really overwhelming at first, but after calming down and thinking very carefully about everything, we realise that there are more important things than a fancy wedding,” he said. 

“My personal opinion on COVID-19 is that it’s God’s way of bringing people back to reality and for them to realise that we are all human and material things can’t give us what God can,” he added. 

Brides fear virus could steal their special day

Jessie de Bruin Photography owner Jessie de Bruin said the coronavirus has affected business to a degree. 

“We have upcoming weddings for clients in the UK and they cannot come into the country to get married, so they are shifting their weddings to 2021,” she said. 

“We feel incredibly bad for our clients in the UK who are absolutely devastated,” she added. 

De Bruin went on to say that there is no need, however, for brides in South Africa to panic. 

De Bruin explained that there is a lot of time, effort and money that goes into a wedding and so the proper precautions should be taken. 

“There was a bit of panic with some clients, but it’s slightly better,” she added.