MUHD Syamel Shuhaimie and his fiancée had meticulously planned every detail of their wedding – outfits, venue, menu, guest list and honeymoon destination.

If everything had gone according to plan, they should have been married on March 20 and returned from their honeymoon by now, starting life together as husband and wife.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic and the government’s movement-control order (MCO) derailed everything.

The MCO came into force on March 18, two days before their wedding date. Under the order, all social events, including weddings, must be postponed.

The government directive is to break the chain of coronavirus infections in the country. As of yesterday, there were 3,793 cases with 62 deaths.

Syamel’s wedding is not the only one to be postponed. Many others have suffered a similar fate, and this has affected them emotionally and financially.

“It had to be postponed at the very last minute. Our first plan was to get married at a hotel, but the imam asked us to change our venue because of the MCO, and to hold the ceremony either at home or somewhere else where the crowd would be smaller,” said the 26-year-old private sector worker from Permatang Pauh, Penang.

“However, we could not hold the ceremony at home as we had not prepared anything, so we decided to look for a new venue.

“The imam gave us until March 23, but then, the religious department came out with a statement that all solemnisation events (akad nikah) are to be postponed until the MCO is lifted.”

That was when he decided to postpone the wedding.

“I lost about RM5,000 as the cost of wedding cards and banners could not be refunded. I bought many bottles of hand sanitiser and thermometers for guests. Now, they are all a waste,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The only silver lining for him is that the wedding outfits and venue can still be used at a later date.

“For the venue and our wedding outfits, we managed to keep the bookings,” said Syamel, who had invited 1,000 guests.

Online wedding

There are also couples who have moved around the MCO to ensure their dream dates are kept.

One example is Lee Jun Keat, 30, and Chew Jin Yee, 25, who had planned a church wedding with 150 guests on March 21, the fourth day of the MCO.

“Since early March, we had been worried that the epidemic would affect the wedding. Although the MCO had yet to be announced, we decided to reduce our guest list to 50 people,” said Chew, from Selangor.

She was also worried for her father, who had to come from Singapore to attend the reception.

“My father works in Singapore, and there were concerns that he would have to go back in a hurry because he might need to be quarantined.

“When the government announced the movement restrictions, we decided to change the wedding ceremony to a live online broadcast to avoid any risk of guests getting infected.”

They decided to broadcast the wedding from their home, witnessed online by more than 100 family members, relatives, friends and pastors.

“We arranged the venue the previous night. I didn’t even wear a wedding dress; I just put on a simple dress and some lipstick,” said Chew.

“The whole process took only 30 minutes. The internet speed was not great, but we were satisfied. I think what is more important is our future life together.

“However, family members and relatives felt sorry for us. Some had originally arranged to come from Penang and Johor to participate in the ceremony.

“After the MCO is lifted, we will hold a reception for relatives and friends.”

Chew said her husband had also arranged a week-long honeymoon abroad, but it had to be cancelled.

“Now, we have been on our honeymoon at home for three weeks. This period together has allowed us to get to know each other better.”

Rushing the wedding

Video editor Nik Muhammad Nik Amir, 28, was supposed to get married in Kelantan on March 27, but was advised by the imam to bring his wedding forward to March 22.

“On the night of March 21, the imam asked me to get married that night itself or I would have to wait longer, but I wasn’t ready as we had not prepared anything.

“My family then asked if the ceremony could go ahead on March 22, and the imam agreed.

“Imagine, in that one night, I had to do everything like preparing the dowry, dais and ‘hantaran’. My family from Sg Dua in Penang drove all the way to Kelantan that night.

“However, it went well, and I thank God for it.”

Yet, he is still disappointed because the ceremony, which was supposed to be cheerful, was gloomy as the turnout was small.

“Only four family members from my side made it to Kelantan. Others who are close to me couldn’t make the trip.

“We were hoping for a happy occasion. The majority wanted to come, but I had to stop them from doing so with a heavy heart.”

Cancelled honeymoon

Meanwhile, IT consultant Muhammad Farhan Abd Ghani was fortunate to be able to hold his wedding as planned because it was scheduled five days before the MCO was announced.

“We managed to get it done on my wife’s side on March 14, but the event on my side, which was supposed to be held in Perak on March 21, has to wait.

“I lost some money because I had to make new wedding cards and banners. I might also need to look for a new venue.”

His honeymoon in Perak, worth RM500, had to be cancelled.

“The hotel is temporarily closed. We can change the date, but as of now, we are both busy, so we can’t set a new date.

“So, we are honeymooning at home. We are both on leave,” said Farhan, who lives in Kepala Batas.

However, Goh Saw Huan, a 27-year-old doctor from Alor Star, Kedah, is not so lucky.

She had to cancel her honeymoon and postpone her wedding, which had been scheduled for April 24.

She said the preparations took more than a year, and she had planned to invite 200 relatives and friends.

“During this pandemic, everyone’s health and safety is a priority. So, we must postpone the wedding banquet, sadly.

“Some of our friends from abroad have already bought plane tickets to attend our wedding.”

She added that the postponement of the reception cost her about RM4,000, including restaurant deposits, photography, wedding dresses and invitations.

She said they had planned to go to Japan for their honeymoon, but this has been cancelled.

Still uncertain of new date

For 27-year-old Christina Indra Ann Gunasegaran, it is upsetting that she is unable to meet up and discuss wedding plans with her fiancé, who is in Ipoh.

They were supposed to get married on May 9 at a church in Kuala Lumpur, followed by a reception at a hotel in the capital.

“With the MCO in place, he can’t come down and I can’t go up to Ipoh to see him. While we can make video calls or WhatsApp each other, it’s not the same as meeting up to discuss matters,” said the accountant from Kelana Jaya.

“We have paid deposits for all the wedding preparations, but now, we have to reassess what we are going to do if this continues.”

Yesterday, Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there is a Covid-19 cluster involving a wedding in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, recently.

He said there have been 88 cases from this cluster, including one patient in the intensive care unit.

“Huge gatherings have a drastic impact on the increase of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia,” he said, adding that imposing the MCO to stop people from gathering was the right call. – April 7, 2020.