Following the coronavirus outbreak that has reached over 22 countries throughout the world and infected thousands, a Singapore couple opted against attending their own wedding in person after returning from China just days before. Instead, they joined their guests via live stream.

Joseph Yew and Kang Ting spent a week in China’s Hunan province visiting Ting’s family for Chinese new year, and arrived back home just three days before their wedding, scheduled to be held at a hotel in central Singapore in early February. The pair had already tied the knot in China in October 2019, and this second wedding was to be a grand banquet for all those that couldn’t attend the first wedding. Many of their guests expressed concerns over attending the wedding as a result of the coronavirus threat.

Many visitors returning from China have been warned to take precautions as the disease is easily spread.

“Some of them said they were not coming,” Mr. Yew told the BBC. “We wanted to postpone the wedding but the hotel was not willing to. They said everything had been arranged and it was non-negotiable. So we felt like we had no choice but to proceed with the wedding.”

Thinking outside of the box, this couple decided to go ahead with the wedding, except they wouldn’t be there. Instead, they would live stream into the venue from a different room in the same hotel the wedding was being held. They made toasts and speeches completely over the video call.

“We thanked the guests for coming and told them to enjoy the dinner,” said Mr Yew.

While it was not the wedding they wanted, the couple were still able to enjoy it.

“We were not sad but a bit disappointed,” said Mr Yew of his wedding. “I think there were no other option so [I have] no regrets.”

Feature image: Unsplash

Cat lovers of the world, unite! This creative bride wanted to do something different with her wedding day, so she decided to make a bold statement by having the person who caught her bouquet adopt a cat. However, this wasn’t a normal bouquet…

Karen Mormo is a cat lady, Mom to two cats already, she really wanted to pay tribute to them during her big day. She’s also not one for tradition, and wanted to put a twist on the expected. So, instead of tossing a bouquet, Mormo decided to throw a cat-shaped plush toy into the crowd. The person who caught the ‘bouquet’ would be the next person to adopt a cat!

“I thought it’d be a fun way to include everyone regardless of gender or marital status, and it was very ‘me’ since everyone knows I’m obsessed with cats,” Marmo told The Dodo.

Her guests were excited about the idea, and all clamoured to be the lucky one to catch the plushie. Unfortunately, the person who ended up catching it couldn’t adopt a cat.

“The person who caught it was my friend, Emma,” Marmo said. “She didn’t mean to catch it since she’s allergic. Guests fumbled the stuffed animal and it landed on her when she was shielding her face. I donated to my local shelter to make up for it.”

Regardless of how it ended, we love this unique twist on tradition! It’s always great to add in an element of giving back for your wedding.

If you want to give back on your wedding day, consider one of these options instead of gifts!

Feature image: Unsplash