Wuhan virus: Couple in Singapore attends own wedding via live-stream

[Update: Feb 5] M Hotel clarified that the couple voluntarily isolated themselves in an M hotel suite during their wedding. The room was cleaned and sanitised after use, the hotel added. 

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the couple was staying at home. The article has been amended to reflect this.

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One Singapore couple proved that no global health emergency was going to keep them from throwing one heck of a wedding bash — not even when they had to stay away.

The couple voluntarily isolated themselves after a recent China trip and attended their own banquet on Feb 2 via a live-stream, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Despite mounting global concern over the recent coronavirus outbreak and the growing number of cases in China, they had decided to spend Chinese New Year in Hunan with the bride's family, returning to Singapore on Jan 30.

And that's when things began to fall apart.

For one, the bride’s parents could not grace the occasion due to recent travel restrictions, the groom told the Chinese daily.

Travel restrictions imposed by the government from Feb 1 mean that any visitor who has been in mainland China in the past 14 days will be barred from entry or transit through Singapore. Holders of Chinese passports also face visa restrictions.

Guests also expressed their concerns once they heard that the couple had recently returned from China.

"We know many of our guests were worried. We had discussed with the hotel on postponing the banquet but could not reach an agreement. To let our guests have peace of mind, we made this decision," the groom explained.

Making the most of the hand that they were dealt, the pair decided to go ahead with the banquet at M Hotel sans the main attraction — themselves.

Serving out a self-imposed 14-day Leave Of Absence (LOA), the couple did away with the typical wedding march-in, opting to greet guests via a live-stream from a hotel suite, all dressed up in their wedding finery. 

"Thank you all for attending our wedding. We're very sorry for not being at the venue to enjoy a wonderful time with everyone," the bride said, addressing the crowd. "But we're still happy over here. We're grateful to everyone for coming."

The groom's parents, who live together with the couple, were also on LOA, leaving only his sister to attend to the wedding guests on-site.

Fortunately, their absence didn't put too much of a damper on the festivities.

"We interacted with our guests via live-stream and popped some champagne to celebrate. The emcee also invited our relatives on stage to yum seng [give a toast]. It was a happy occasion," the groom said.

On a less positive note, the couple had booked 19 tables for the occasion but only managed to fill 11 due to confirmed guests skipping the event, he lamented, adding that some guests ate two portions of food while others brought the extra food home in order to reduce wastage.

The status of the couple's honeymoon next month is also in limbo. They have not made any concrete plans, although it doesn't seem too likely that they will leave the country, he said.

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kimberlylim@asiaone.com