"we would have to wear a PPE kit at our wedding"
In what was a unique wedding ceremony, an Indian couple got married whilst wearing full PPE after the bride tested positive for Covid-19 just hours before the wedding.
The wedding took place on December 6, 2020, in the courtyard of a quarantine centre in Baran, Rajasthan.
Even though the bride tested positive, the ceremony went ahead.
Under a red canopy, the bride and groom exchanged garlands whilst wearing matching blue hazmat suits, visors and face masks.
The priest also wore a hazmat suit as he conducted the ceremony.
A total of four people were at the wedding, the groom, the bride, the priest and the bride’s father.
Health official Rajendra Meena said the bride had been admitted to the centre after she and a family member tested positive.
He said: “We consulted with the families and they agreed to get married in the quarantine centre without any elaborate rituals.”
The groom, Shyam Sharma said: “Not in my wildest dream I could have thought we would have to wear a PPE (personal protective equipment) kit at our wedding and medic team will shower flowers on us.
“I am happy we were able to get married despite difficulties but I am worried about the health of my wife.”
Mr Sharma explained that the wedding plans had been going on for over a year and had already been halted due to lockdown in March 2020.
Both families had planned a small wedding with limited guests.
Many guests had turned up to attend the wedding but some left after hearing that the bride had contracted the virus.
Mr Sharma said: “Ankita was also heartbroken when the results came out but I asked her to be patient. Like any girl, it was Ankita’s dream as well to get married in a traditional red attire surrounded by her family.
Chief medical officer of Baran, Dr Arif Shaikh, said the wedding went ahead in accordance with local Covid-19 protocols.
The family had claimed that traditional customs forbid cancelling a wedding once rituals are initiated.
Dr Shaikh told The Independent: “The bride had already left for the wedding venue before the results came. When we got the information we tracked them and directly took them to Covid centre.”
As the family stated that the wedding could not be cancelled, local authorities decided that all other marriage ceremonies would be cancelled and only the main wedding ritual would be allowed.
Although Covid-19 had a big effect on the wedding, the Indian couple were happy to finally get married.
Following the wedding, the bride and her family member are in isolation at home.
Meanwhile, test samples were taken from Mr Sharma and he is awaiting the result.
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