Love in time of Covid: 10 quirky Lockdown weddings that trumped the pandemic in 2020

Pandemic-struck 2020 may not have been the best year for all, especially for those who planned to marry the love of their life or had other romantic interests. While many couples were forced to cancel their plans this year, others decided to go ahead with the celebrations, generally with a unique COVID-19 twist.

The craze for weddings and its elaborate rituals in India is unmatched. With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, some couples altered the rituals and wedding themes to suit the precautionary measures, while other creative couples cranked it up a notch, giving their own twist to the lockdown wedding.

Here are 10 unique ways that couples around the world tied the knot despite all odds:

1. Bride COVID positive? No problem!

A couple in California came up with a unique solution to ensure they got married on the planned wedding date even after the bride tested positive for Covid-19.  Patrick Delgado and Lauren Jimenez were about to tie the knot in November, but the bride contracted Covid-19 just three days before the ceremony. Yet, the couple decided to go ahead with the wedding even as the bride needed to be isolated. 

They finally exchanged vows holding the ends of a decorated ribbon, which made the couple feel as if they were holding hands. Photos of the ceremony that went viral on social media, showed the bride in her wedding dress, sitting by the window of her bedroom on the first floor, while the groom stood underneath the window in the front yard. 

(Credit: Jesscaste Photography/Facebook) 

2. PPE suit: The new wedding attire

In a unique twist during the wedding season, a couple in Rajasthan's Shahbad got married inside a COVID Care Centre in Bara after the bride tested positive for the disease on her wedding day. But that did not stop the couple from getting hitched as per the plan. The duo dressed up head to toe in a PPE suit, to perform at the marriage procession and followed all the COVID-19 protocols.

In a video from the wedding ceremony that was shared widely on social media, the couple was seen sitting near the havan kund and performing the rituals as instructed by the pandit, who also donned a PPE suit.

3. Masks, sanitisers & PACKAGED FOOD for guests

In a peculiar wedding, a couple in Maharashtra's Vashi followed every protocol while getting married, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Decked up in splendid attire and ornaments, the bride and groom clicked pictures with guests at the wedding, wearing masks on their faces.

The guests were provided masks and hand sanitisers as a safety measure. Moreover, they were served packaged food to avoid any chances of transmission of the virus through food.

(Credit: ANI)

READ | Rajasthan Couple Marries In PPE Kits After Bride Tests COVID Positive On Wedding Day

4. Wedding from across the border

In one of the most distinctive weddings, a couple exchanged vows on a pier along the US-Canada border, so the families from both sides could witness the ceremony.

Lindsay Clowes and Alex Leckie got married in an outdoor ceremony along the St. Croix River in Canada where family members from the neighbouring countries watched the couple get married using binoculars. The bride’s family lives in the US State of Maine. The couple’s plan to hold a wedding in Windsor, Nova Scotia, was thwarted due to Covid-19 as international travellers were restricted from going to the US.

5. The iconic ‘drive-in wedding’

An Indian-origin couple, keen not to delay their wedding plans despite England's strict restriction on the number of guests, celebrated by pulling off a unique ‘drive-in’ wedding near London.

Roma Popat and Vinal Patel were originally due to get married on April 20 but when lockdown disrupted their plans, they discussed the concept of a drive-in wedding, almost as a tongue-in-cheek thought rather than a serious plan.

However, what began as a joke became reality when the couple was married in front of a small gathering of their immediate family with the ceremony being projected onto a big screen in a field next door to friends and family seated in more than 100 cars at Braxted Park in Chelmsford.

6. COVID warriors felicitated at Mysuru wedding

A gram panchayat member in Bogadi village on the outskirts of Mysuru planned a remarkable programme for his daughter’s wedding. Several COVID-19 warriors, including doctors, policemen, health workers and teachers were felicitated for their service in the time of the pandemic.

Shashikala and M Nagaraju held a simple wedding for their daughter Rashmi with mandatory masks and social distancing protocols. Sending a positive message to the society, the newly-wed couple feted a total of 124 COVID warriors at their wedding. The groom and bride also decide not to accept gifts.

READ | 'Romeo And Juliet': Couple Married For 47 Years Dies Due To COVID-19 On Same Date And Time

7. Groom ties Mangalsutra on a video call

The Coronavirus lockdown played a spoilsport in the wedding plans of Sreejith Nadesan and Anjana, until they found the digital way to get married. While the groom was in Kerala's Kottayan, the bride got stuck in Lucknow with her family when the lockdown was announced. The priest said there was no other auspicious day for the next two years, hence the marriage could not be postponed.

That is how their online wedding ceremony brought technology and rituals together. The groom tied the auspicious Mangalsutra around the bride's image in the video call. 

(Credit: ANI)

8. Virtual vows amid lockdown

Patna's Sadiya Nasreen and Uttar Pradesh's Danish Raza also had their Nikah solemnised through a video call, after their big day got disrupted with the announcement of Coronavirus lockdown. Travels were restricted, flights and trains suspended, making it difficult for the guests to meet for the wedding. The bride and groom then decided to read their vows virtually, and they said, "Kubool hai," (I accept) via video call.

READ | Coronavirus: Couple, Guests Take Preventive Measures During Wedding, See Pics

9. ‘Leg shakes’ over handshakes

As the number of coronavirus cases grew rapidly in India, a couple in Karnataka adopted a new way of greeting guests at their wedding, in order to avoid the risk of getting infected by the virus.

A video of a newly-wedded couple wearing face masks went viral across social media platforms. The video showed the guests approaching the couple to give them blessings and wish them good luck for their new life.

When the guests try to shake hands with the couple, the groom refuses and instead goes for a 'leg shake', while the bride prefers a simple 'namaste'.

(Credit: Tiktok/@shyaambharadwaj)

10. Mask pehnayi ki rasam

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced people across the globe to adopt new practices and tweak old existing traditions. One such new ritual of ‘exchanging masks’ was seen at many weddings of 2020.

As masks have become an integral part of the bridal wear, a Nepali couple were the first ones to make one another wear face masks during the wedding ceremony. A viral clip pf the ritual shows the bride and groom sitting side by side on chairs and making each other wear masks as guests applaud and cheer.

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