Overcoming challenges to get married during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many to readjust their plans. This was especially true for couples like Nadiah and Faiq, who decided to brave through the challenges to get married in 2020.

The 25-year-olds had been planning their wedding ceremony for two years since their engagement, and wanted very much to carry on with the ceremony that was scheduled for Oct 10, 2020.

“Regardless of what was going to happen, what the rules that we had to abide by, we were quite firm that we still wanted to get married on Oct 10,” said Nadiah. 

Going through with their decision did not come easy. As their initial guest list of 2,000 people had to be cut down to approximately 200 people, they faced pressure from their families who wanted to postpone the wedding so that more people could be invited at a later date. 

To maximise the number of guests under the current restrictions, the couple planned for a two-day ceremony, further splitting each day into two sessions of 50 guests. Even then, shortlisting the people to invite was a struggle.

Faiq said: “I wanted to invite this guy, but if I don’t invite this other guy, then he ambil hati (may have hard feelings) – stuff like that.”

The couple also faced issues with the wedding catering. After having to downsize the wedding, they had to forfeit most of the deposit that they had made prior to the wedding, which was for an expected 2,000 guests.

On the bright side, however, they managed to reduce their total budget by half.

A jarring difference between their wedding and a traditional one was the atmosphere. Not only did they have to forgo the traditional kompang and silat performances, the absence of their close cousins made the occasion seem less jubilant.

“The meriah-ness (festive vibe) was lesser… But I mean ultimately the idea of that wedding was to celebrate our marriage so we’re thankful for our family for making it a joyous event,” shared Faiq.

Nadiah said: “It’s definitely different from weddings that we’ve been to because it’s much smaller and faster.”

Although the couple preferred a traditional wedding as it was important for them to have their loved ones around for their special day, they were still happy that they went ahead with getting married and starting a new life together. 

“But I think the main goal was just to get married. So I think at least, my advice is if your plan was to get married and it’s affected by COVID-19, just get married,” said Faiq.