When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and Kenya reported its first case, many Kenyan couples grappled with the dilemma over whether to cancel their planned weddings.
And while some did, a section chose to carry on, while observing Ministry of Health guidelines.
Nothing could dampen this bride’s joy.
Not even the masks her parents had to don to walk her down the aisle.
Despite the pandemic Juliet and Moses were determined to get married.
But instead of the many friends they had envisioned, only a few people were in attendance at the venue, a hotel in Nairobi.
Some of their friends watched the ceremony that was streamed on their social media pages.
This is the fourth wedding that, Brenda Mulama, a wedding photographer, has covered since Kenya reported its first case of COVID-19 in mid-March.
At first, she was reluctant.
Brenda Mulama, Wedding Photographer: “Honestly at the beginning there was more of panic and I’m one of those people who was scared to go out. I have three children at home, I have a husband at home, I have family and I was really worried that I could go out and get the virus and bring it at home. I had to go through the steps with the client to ensure they really understand what’s going on to know what they’ll be doing. Will they be observing all the guidelines to make sure that we are not spreading the guidelines?”
A number of couples in the country have chosen to get married even in the midst of the pandemic.
Weddings in a time of COVID-19 are quite different from those that take place in normal times.
All attendees, service-providers included, have to abide by strict rules pertaining to hygiene and social distance.
“I had to have my mask, I had to have the right lenses for the social-distancing, I couldn’t go maybe with a 50mm that I had to be at close range. I had to think about sanitizing the hands before doing my work. And other than being a photographer I had to remind everyone to observe the MOH guidelines,” Mulama says.
In May, Kenya’s office of the Attorney General suspended marriage services after many Kenyans flocked to the office, overwhelming it as they applied for wedding permits, and raising fears of the spread of Covid-19.
However, Juliet and Moses who had already made their plans were able to carry on with their ceremony.
The Bride: “We had made that decision we want to get married and that’s the important thing. What do we need to get married? We need the two of us, we need the officiating pastor, we need two witnesses and our parents, and that’s it. So that’s the reason we’ve decided to go on despite. We’ve been able to focus on the most important things and we are so grateful for that.”
Mulama submits that “Other than moving on with life, it’s spreading hope, you know. Despite the pandemic there is living, you know, there’s that emotional connection. We are more than that, we are more than the pandemic.”
They took their vows, promising to stay together for better or for worse.
And then the happy couple sealed their union with a kiss.
Because of the curfew there would be no dancing late into the night.
Instead, the two went off to face a pandemic, together.
Report compiled by CGTN’s Wilkister Nyabwa.
