Brazil: Couples get married at drive-through ceremonies to avoid mass gatherings

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, a couple in Brazil got married in a drive-through wedding offered by a marriage registry office in Rio de Janeiro. Seated in a white hatchback with protective masks on, Joao Blank and Erica Blank were sworn as husband and wife as they exchanged their vows and rings in the rear seat of the car, as per the local media reports. 

This comes as the Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil has been second worst-hit state by the pandemic, with almost 5,000 deaths and over 45,000 people infected and people have been restricted to gather in the wedding ceremonies to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. Therefore, the couple decided to get married while on the wheels without the guests, instead.

An official of the marriage registry, Alessandra Lapoente, reportedly said that the drive-through system has seen a rise in trend among the couple despite the ongoing threat of the coronavirus. While the bride was quoted as saying that a drive-thru was an innovative way of fulfilling her dreams, the ceremony was very good. Further, she added, that the drive-thru marriage might not be the couple’s dream wedding but it definitely made the unison possible.  

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Virtual marriages made legal

On the western outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, this week, over 15 couples got married via drive-thru ceremony, as per local media reports. At a notary in Santa Cruz, several couples now preferred tying the knot while avoiding the assembly of the crowd and adhering to the social distancing measures. The 24-year-old bride, Erica Blank, reportedly said that she didn’t think her wedding date would come so soon, and it was only a week ago that she found out that she was getting married to her partner and she felt extremely good.  At least six states, including Rio de Janeiro, had earlier made matrimony via video conferences legal, as per reports. The couple could do all documentation virtually prior to the ceremony by having the notary personnel visit their homes.  

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(With image and inputs from AP)