I have twenty days of leave to clear. Covid 19 made it impossible to travel and my annual leave was mostly untouched. But then I still had remaining work to clear, an office full of books, documents and stuff to clear. Last week was a case in point. I had two weddings and an outside speaking engagement.
This meant I had to do two wedding rehearsals: one at the bride’s Toa Payoh Methodist Church, and one via zoom, since it was held in the home. Two different weddings but both on Saturdays, one in the morning and one in the evening. One for guests of about 100, and the other, limited to about 10 guests.
Covid 19 has really put the plans of many couples into a tailspin or on hold. Originally it was for 10, then 50, then a 100. I cannot even remember the numbers. It was stressful for all who planned weddings during this period. Many had no choice but to postpone their weddings. Others went ahead with their plans but with a reduction in the number of guests. All are disappointed because what could have been their dream wedding turned into a migraine.
Thankfully the solemnisation I conducted was after the authorities increased the number of guests who could attend the wedding. There were of course the usual safety measures: masks, social distancing, temperature taking, registration, groups of 50s separated by a few metres, keep the wedding short, and no singing nor buffet permitted. The wedding went like clockwork from beginning to end, yet remained cosy and special and happy.
We were given a bento box and Ark Coffee to take away. There was enough to feed myself and my wife. Generous portions and quality stuff. There was even choices: vegetarian, Peranakan, and Western. I took the Western bento as I have been having too much spicy stuff of late. Enjoyed it.
The evening wedding was also special. Beautiful white blooms framed the whole event. Only close relatives, a pair of friends and a pair of dogs in attendance. The limits is due to the constraints of space in an apartment. The whole thing was live-streamed to all their friends and relatives to as far as Indonesia, as the bride’s family are Indonesians. It was a civil ceremony but I added the Blessing Song, some reading of scriptures from 1 Corinthians 13 and a prayer of blessing on the couple. This wedding was relaxed and intimate being held in the new home of the now newly married couple.
After the wedding, I was happy to call it a day and return home to reflect on the day and feel satisfied. One of the joys of pastoral ministry is doing solemnizations.