Wedding Woes: Couples Tackle Covid‑19 Curveballs
Once upon a time, on May 8, a Singaporean bride named Ms Yong and her fiancé thought they’d finally say “I do.” But the government hit the brakes again, tightening rules amid a surge in local cases.
Ms Yong: “I’m Totally Devastated”
“We were so close to the date, I thought everything would be fine,” Ms Yong confessed, visibly shaken. She’s emotionally torn, knowing the authorities are trying to curb the spread, yet frustrated at the extra hassle.
New limits slash the guest list from 100 to 50 unless everyone gets a pre‑event test (PET). Couples now face three tough choices:
- Cut the party in half AND keep the original lineup (no PET)
- Ask every guest to get a PET (and buckle up for the extra cost)
- Postpone the ceremony until a clearer situation emerges
Ms Yong felt she had no time to play the “guest list half‑and‑half” game. The extra $6,000 for PETs was out of reach, so she and her fiancé moved the wedding up a day. They hustled their vendors, photographers, and makeup artists—all within 48 hours.
Ms Nithiyakamala: “It Was a Painful Decision”
At 31, Ms Nithiyakamala, a patient‑service associate, was juggling a million thoughts on May 16. She had to decide which guest would skip the reception, add extra costs, or forego the PET.
Many guests balked at the PET, so she reduced the list to 50. Two bridesmaids had to leave, a brutal blow for the bride’s support system.
- Frustration over the short timeline
- Guests already out‑spent on outfits and styling
- The decision to trim the guest list was heart‑wrenching
She admitted, “I tried to stay calm, but I broke down that night. We’ve survived the worst—think of the circuit breaker—and now this new curveball hits us again.”
Ms Cheong: “There Are More Mountains to Climb”
Engineer Ms Cheong, 31, and her fiancé are weighing options as their May 22 wedding approaches. They’re torn between trimming the list and postponing further, worried some guests might refuse to get tested.
“It’s supposed to be a happy occasion, but with all this uncertainty, you can’t truly enjoy the process,” Ms Cheong says. The pandemic, it seems, has turned their big day into an expedition of logistical peaks.
The Bottom Line
For couples like Ms Yong, Ms Nithiyakamala, and Ms Cheong, the wedding calendar is a roller‑coaster:
- New rules slash guest capacity to 50
- Pre‑event tests add a hefty financial burden
- Postponements are a last‑ditch, logistical nightmare
Despite the hurdles, love is still the thread tying these stories together—just maybe with a few extra logistical hurdles to sprint past.
