Summary

The author attended their niece's wedding virtually via Zoom due to the pandemic, reflecting on the changes in wedding traditions and the emotional significance of the event despite the physical distance.

Abstract

The article discusses the author's experience of attending a niece's wedding through Zoom, a necessity due to the pandemic. It highlights the global impact of COVID-19 on wedding plans, with many being postponed or cancelled. The author's cultural background emphasizes the importance of large family gatherings for weddings, but the pandemic has led to a shift towards smaller, more intimate ceremonies. The piece touches on the personal impact of the pandemic, including the postponement of weddings due to the author's mother's passing and the challenges faced by the couple working abroad. The author expresses joy and acceptance of the new normal in wedding celebrations, noting the beauty of the virtual ceremony set against snow mountains and the deeper meaning of marriage beyond the wedding day.

Opinions

The author believes that the pandemic has led to "postponement fatigue" among couples eager to wed.
There is a sense of cultural expectation being challenged by the pandemic, with the author noting that now couples can have smaller weddings without the pressure of inviting all relatives.
The author suggests that Georgia has become a popular destination wedding location, though they admit to not knowing much about it.
The author reflects on the tradition of not holding weddings until after the first death anniversary of a close relative, which affected the timing of the niece's wedding.
Despite the limitations of a virtual wedding, the author found the experience joyful and meaningful, emphasizing the importance of the marriage over the wedding event.
The author appreciates the opportunity for the entire family, including those abroad, to participate in the wedding, thanks to technology.
The author muses on the serendipity of love and marriage in a world of 7 billion people, finding it magical.

The Wedding Pictures Will Have To Come Much Later

I attended my niece's wedding via Zoom.

It is better now than later.

How many weddings were postponed because of the pandemic?

According to a survey conducted worldwide, 82 percent of weddings worldwide which were supposed to take place in April 2020 were postponed. In addition, 11 percent of weddings in the same months were cancelled.

A New York Times article estimates that in 2022 there will be 2.5 million weddings in the US, and couples are forging ahead, as many couples are already experiencing postponement fatigue.

My mom didn't get to attend my niece's wedding.

I know my mom watched it from above, and that's a better view from where I was sitting.

My niece's wedding happened in Georgia. Unfortunately, I know very little where Georgia is, except that it used to be part of the Soviet Union many years ago.

I never knew it had become a popular destination wedding place.

Weddings are big in our culture, and you are "forced" to invite relatives you don't care about.

But the pandemic changed all that. Now couples can have a small wedding, and people are more forgiving if they weren't invited.

When my mom passed in 2021, as part of the tradition of honoring the dead, no weddings were allowed to happen until after her first death anniversary.

And because my niece and my new nephew-in-law were both working abroad and in different countries, it was also hard for them to plan a big or even a simple wedding.

I was surprised to learn about the wedding and why it had to be so soon. Back in the old days, the only time surprise weddings happened was when the bride-to-be was pregnant, which wasn't the case with my niece.

I was happy just the same, even if it meant I wouldn't be witnessing it in person, and so would the rest of the family.

I don't know how my sister felt about it, my niece being her only daughter, but I guess we all learned to accept whatever happens in a post-pandemic world.

Wedding in Georgia

Destination Wedding was a movie with Keanu Reeves and Wynona Ryder. It was funny and gave me a glimpse of what a destination wedding is all about.

A big part of weddings in our culture is the food. But again, because it was a Zoom wedding, we decided to have a simple dinner. So, I decided to cook some pasta, and my sister, the mother-of-the-bride, cooked some Filipino dishes. There was cake too.

There wasn't anything grand in the preparation, and what was missing was the usual whole-day photo session expected from a wedding.

We were all sitting in front of the TV. The Zoom wedding was cast on the big TV screen.

Of course, Murphy's Law came into play.

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” — Murphy’s Law

It took a while before we could get into the Zoom meeting or wedding. The Internet suddenly became slow, and the sound from the wedding ceremony wasn't crisp and delayed.

But it is the only way we can celebrate my niece's wedding as a family.

Even the youngest of the family, now based in Connecticut, could attend her first wedding, and she had just started to learn how to walk.

The wedding was beautiful. As beautiful it can be, with the snow mountains behind my niece as she said her wedding vows, to the tears that flowed from her eyes, and the dance that came after the ceremony.

It was beautiful even if my mom wasn't around, but we know she was as happy as we all were in spirit.

I can only wish happiness for the newlyweds; the wedding is just the beginning and what is more important is that they work on their marriage every day.

What I love about weddings is not the lavish celebration but how we can all take part in the love between the couple.

And isn't it magical how we end up being with someone in a world of 7 billion?