Wedding During the Pandemic
A Time for Love.
By Kim (Hillel) Yunkyoung.
It has been over a year already, since COVID-19 changed almost every aspect of our daily lives. And one of the biggest changes is that we aren’t supposed to be gathered together. Therefore, we are using all kinds of online media such as Zoom to communicate with each other and feel as if we are together. But at times, we still need to meet face to face, especially for events like weddings and funerals. These are the two events in which people feel obligated to meet in person regardless of the circumstances. However, the coronavirus does not care about either circumstance or time. If it is spreading, it spreads. The role of the government kicks in with its regulations at this point. So the wedding business is one of the fields that has suffered the most.
In the midst of all of these chaotic moments, my closest friend Nick got married. On January 18, 2021, there were 386 COVID-19 confirmed new cases countrywide, and the social distancing level was 2.5. Only 50 participants were allowed to attend gatherings such as weddings, but they preceded with their wedding ceremony anyway.
It was all about masks, but as you can see, smiles were everywhere. It was all about joy and happiness. The couple was so sad that they could not invite more people to their wedding ceremony. However, since there were fewer people gathered, they could focus more on each other. Overall, despite all the agonies during the wedding preparations due to constant changes in the COVID-19 situation, they feel blessed. COVID-19 might have kept families and friends apart but not the love between them.
The Photographer
Kim (Hillel) Yunkyoung is a priest in the Anglican Church and also a portrait photographer. More of his pictures can be found on Instagram: @hillelkim