Love in the time of coronavirus sees weddings streamed online

As the bride and groom raised their glasses at their wedding reception in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on May 9, 27 guests joined them with a cry of “Cheers!” However, including the couple and their parents, only seven people were at Harajuku Togokinenkan hall, where the reception was being held. The other 22 guests were attending the reception virtually via the video conferencing tool Zoom.

The three-tiered bento boxes being served at the hall had also been delivered in advance to the guests attending virtually at home. The boxes, filled with elaborate washoku dishes, sweets and flowers, drew admiring comments from the guests as they opened the lids.

The wedding ceremony at Togo Shrine and the reception were both broadcast live on YouTube, watched by about 60 friends who posted congratulatory comments during the service.

The couple said the virtual service made them feel as though they were actually together with their family and friends.

The wedding cost them about ¥1.3 million, or about 40% of the cost of the original plan to invite about 60 guests.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has prompted wedding planners to search for new ways to hold ceremonies, including thinking of ways to hold online services and reduce in-person contact.

The couple used an online wedding plan the Harajuku Togokinenkan hall began offering in May. Several couples held online weddings in June after the coronavirus-imposed state of emergency was lifted, according to the hall’s operator.

“We hope this new wedding style becomes established so that guests who live very far away can easily attend,” a company official said.

In May, the Bridal Institutional Association drew up guidelines on how to handle ceremonies and receptions amid the spread of the virus. The guidelines include having operators create enough space between seats and avoid using large plates for food to be shared among many people.

Marriage Planner, an Osaka-based company that handles wedding ceremonies at the Osaka City Central Public Hall, introduced a wedding plan in March that complies with the guidelines. Under the plan, seats in the reception hall are to be spread out one meter apart, while those across from each other will be at least two meters apart. Guests are required to wear masks, except when they eat or pose for photographs.

To reduce how often reception attendees come into contact with waiters, several dishes are served on a single plate for each guest. The reception staff also keep an eye on attendees to ensure they do not hug or shout.

Weddings in the prewar era were usually held at a family house with relatives in attendance, according to literary critic Minako Saito.

In the 1960s during the high economic growth period, Shinto-style wedding ceremonies with workplace bosses and colleagues as guests became the prevailing style, and then elaborate receptions and Christian-themed ceremonies became popular.

Following the burst of the bubble economy, more and more people began holding ceremonies overseas or not holding one at all due to the loosening bonds in local communities and the trend toward nuclear families.

“In recent years, due to the low birthrate and aging population, people find it more of a burden to get together in a large group,” Saito said. “The virus crisis may accelerate the drive to adopt new styles, such as livestreamed weddings or simplified ceremonies.”

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo