Lovers in pandemic times tie knot in micro-weddings
Pilot project debuts with eight couples making it official outside of city hall
The coronavirus has caused its share of heartache for B.C. couples who had big summer wedding plans, but it wasn’t going to stop Nikki Alexis and Roni Jones from at least making it official.
Last month, the City of Vancouver announced the launch of a micro-wedding pilot program and for its debut Friday, eight couples got married at the Helena Gutteridge Plaza just outside city hall.
Alexis and Jones brought six of their close friends and each stood on a circular green mat to ensure they were physically distancing at least two metres. The wedding commissioner wore a sequined face shield while the couple kept their lips mask-free, given that they had some kissing to do.
Alexis and Jones had been planning something much bigger, on Sept. 12, but with the pandemic putting a wrench in that plan, they were willing to adapt.
“We knew that we really wanted to still get married this year and saw an article about city hall piloting this micro-wedding program and thought, ‘Hey, this sounds like a great idea for us to move along with our wedding — you know, officially get married — so why not give it a try?’” said Alexis. “And here we are.”
The couple streamed the ceremony on Zoom so family and friends could watch them exchange vows from a safe distance.
“I think it’s great,” Jones said. “I mean, it’s a beautiful location and we were lucky with the weather.”
Jones said the couple will enjoy a mini-honeymoon in Vancouver this weekend and take a longer break when “things calm down.”
Nathalie Nsegbe and Art Pohl, whose ceremony was the last of the day, were delighted with the program.
“It was the perfect size for us, exactly what we wanted to do,” said Nsegbe. “We picked up our marriage licence beginning of May, so it was perfect timing. We just went online and as soon as it was available, registered, we picked the date and then everything was really smooth from there.”
“I think it’s perfect for the simplicity,” said Pohl. “It was perfect for us.”
The couple said they hope to honeymoon in Mexico in the new year.
The maximum capacity for the micro-weddings is 10 people, but can sport as few as five, including at least an officiant, a couple and two witnesses. Those getting married need to make their own arrangements for an officiant and apply for and buy a marriage licence.
Vancouver city Coun. Melissa De Genova, who put forward a motion for city hall weddings in December 2018, said at the time she had been thinking about the lack of affordability in the city and the beautiful views around city hall.
But she was impressed by the hard work and creativity of staff who, given the pandemic, came up with ideas for physically distanced weddings, she said.
“I’ve heard from couples that had larger celebrations planned, cultural celebrations planned, and at the end of the day, that would have been great if that could have gone forward,” she said.
“But really, what they wanted to do was get married to each other. And I think that this is offering that opportunity. Really, it’s the epitome of what Dr. Bonnie Henry said. Let’s, ‘Be kind, be calm and be safe.’ That’s what we’re offering here.”
The city has arranged five more dates for micro-weddings through Sept. 4, including a Pride Week event July 27 for 2SLGBTQ+ couples. The venue fee for this service is $85 plus GST, and available dates and times are listed at vancouver. ca/weddings.