Why we chose to still hold our wedding despite restrictions

Ephraim says: We met in 2017, became friends and courted for two and a half years before we decided to take our relationship to the next level and commit to one another for life.

Last year, we started making our wedding plans. We had our traditional ceremonies and prepared to have a white wedding later. We set a date of March 21 this year, made a guest list of about 300 people and found vendors to cater to the wedding.

We had actually paid most of our service providers, since they needed a commitment from our end. We had made a down payment of 50 percent of the entire cost to the photographer, decorator, deejay and master of ceremony and a 75 percent deposit to the caterer— since food takes the largest chunk of money at a wedding. We had gotten our marriage license from the Attorney General's office at this point and we were ready to get married.

When the first case of coronavirus was announced in the country, less than a week to our big day, we were in Nairobi, making final arrangements for the event.

At first, we did not think the announcement would have a big impact on us, but we were wrong. We would soon find out exactly how important that news would be for the rest of our lives.

A few days later, more coronavirus positive cases were announced and the new strict rules on social distancing and avoiding crowds were established. Schools were closed, people were told to work from home—it was serious.

Sat story body text: We started getting calls from our relatives and friends, wondering if the wedding was still on. It was a challenging time for our relationship.

We first had to sit down and discuss the pros and cons of going ahead with our plans. We had to decide what our priority was, a big lavish wedding with all our friends and loved ones present or being together, especially during this trying time. We opted to be together.

Anne says: I did not want to postpone the wedding for several reasons. The first is that I did not want us to go through the process at the Attorney General's office again. He was living in Nairobi and I in Kitui, so commuting every few weeks for that was a challenge.

Then, I was psychologically prepared to start a family. We had gone through counselling and I knew that on the 21st, I would become a wife. I did not want to waste any more time. The final reason was that, I was afraid that if we pushed the date something would come between us and ruin our relationship. I did not want to take that chance.

I think this pandemic is a test of the strength of our relationship. It has been brought for us to see whether we would be shaken and call off the whole thing or wade through these unchartered waters together. It was a trying time, since we already had wedding jitters.

After consulting the Reverend who was to join us in holy matrimony, we agreed to go ahead with the wedding. He however told us that we would only proceed if we strictly observed the new guidelines on social distancing. We accepted the conditions and went ahead to call all our guests, informing them not to come for the wedding.

It was difficult, but they understood eventually. The people who took the news the hardest were our bridal team. We had 30 people in the lineup. They insisted that we just postpone the wedding instead of having a tiny ceremony, but in the end they came around to the idea.

Our wedding vendors were gracious enough to understand our situation and they all agreed to pay us back. We only lost a little cash, which the service providers kept for the inconvenience caused, especially so close to the day. We only had trouble with the photographer, who had already spent the money renting the cameras that would have been used that day.

Ephraim says: On the actual day, a few people set out from my rural home in Nyeri to pick the bride from her home in Kanderendu in Murang'a and we congregated at PCEA Elim Kenol church in Murang'a county, where we had the ceremony.

We were strictly 10 people, including the presiding Reverend. Only our parents and best couple were in attendance.

Sat story body text: We then had lunch for about an hour and dispersed to our homes.

Covid-19 ruined our honeymoon plans, since we couldn't go anywhere. We chose to just stay at home in Thika for about two weeks. We decided that it was better to stay safe than risk our health and our lives. After all, we are together now, so what else could we want?

It's strange for some of our friends to hear that we went ahead with the wedding, some don't even believe us. A few people who attended the ceremony took photographs and shared them online, at least our Facebook friends know it is true.

Anne says: At least we did not have to wear masks at our wedding. We would have looked very odd.

We are planning on having a bigger reception later, or a Thanksgiving ceremony to celebrate our marriage with all the people we had invited earlier when things get better.

Having family and friends to celebrate with you is good, but at the end of the day you will be left alone with your spouse. I don't see why couples should cancel their weddings, if they have the permits and licenses. Also, it is better to get through this pandemic with your better half by your side.