Coronavirus: People are now getting married over video chat

For many people, coronavirus has meant postponing or even canceling many of life’s most meaningful gatherings: graduations, birthday parties, funerals and even weddings.

But for others, life goes on and COVID-19 can’t stop them from celebrating and commemorating the important moments with their loved ones — they’re just having to get a little bit creative.

Boston couple Jen Andonian and Matt Shearer, both epidemiologists, got married in the Massachusetts General Hospital during a break between shifts, NPR reports. Additionally, New York City couple Amanda Wheeler and Reilly Jennings got married on the sidewalk while their officiant conducted the ceremony from an apartment several floors up.

When the wedding of Lisa Kabouridis and Graeme Blackett was among the many weddings thrown into limbo by the COVID-19 outbreak, they found a way to have the wedding of their dreams, the Verge reports. The couple invited all their friends friends and family, dressed up, and hosted their wedding as planned — except with a minor few changes. They were married in their Edinburgh home, the aisle Kabouridis walked down was actually a hallway, and their guests all watched through Zoom.

While the video conferenced wedding was likely not what the newlyweds anticipated, they don’t regret it one bit. “We thought it would be anticlimactic, but it really wasn’t,” Kabouridis told the Verge. “There were loads of people crying on screen. It was really beautiful.”

Two additional couples shared their Zoom wedding stories with the Verge, but they’re not the only ones who used the platform to share their special day. A quick search of #zoomwedding on Twitter or Instagram brings up a plethora of posts.