Local weddings on hold as public health urges distance during COVID-19

For Gunjan Marwah and Prem Nichani, the plan was to start their marriage with a splash.

The young couple, who are both first-generation Canadians from Indian families, had planned a traditional celebration with multiple events, culminating in a ceremony at the Cambridge Mill in June.

Now, that plan has gone out the window.  

To protect the health of their families amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they've cancelled the large gatherings they had planned. The couple now hopes to marry as soon as they can, though likely in a very different ceremony than what they'd originally intended.

"To be honest, I'd be willing to get married in the garage," Nichani said. "I just want to get married."

Weddings 'wiped out'

When it is safe to do so, Marwah and Nichani's plan B is a small ceremony with the two of them, their witnesses and an officiant. But even that plan seems uncertain as the pandemic and the suspension of non-essential services continue.

With municipal offices closed, that means no city hall weddings — and no city staff available to issue marriage licenses. Gatherings of five people or more have been banned by the province except in certain circumstances.

Marwah and Nichani aren't alone in their predicament. Across the country, couples have canceled or changed their wedding plans as public health officials urge physical distancing.

Officiant Pat Fretwell manages the Kitchener city hall wedding chapel. She said she's had 14 weddings were postponed by the end of March.

Fretwell won't officiate any city hall weddings in April, either, with facilities closed until at least May 4.

"We're pretty well wiped out," Fretwell said. 

Umesh Kumar, president of the Ottawa-based India Canada Association, said he's aware of other couples going through the same problem. He said wedding cancellations can be hard for Indo-Canadian families who often invest a lot of money and effort into bringing their loved ones together. 

"Emotionally, it is also very, very tough, because they don't know that in the future that they will be able to arrange this kind of grand marriage again," he said.

'The most important thing is it's me and him'

Marwah and Nichani are currently living apart, with Marwah in Waterloo and Nichani in Toronto. They want to follow cultural tradition and marry before before living together.

With Nichani currently in medical school, they had hoped to have time to get settled into married life before he starts his residency and may have to move.

"I want to marry him already," Marwah said. "The most important thing is it's me and him."

Given Nichani's medical training, the two are clear-eyed about the gravity of the pandemic and the need to put the safety of others first.

Still, they said, it's a frustrating situation to be in.

"Especially in times like this, it sucks that we're not with each other," Nichani said.