Under the Coronavirus pandemic, social distancing has become more than just a precaution – it has literally become the need of the hour.
But guess they were onto something when they said, love will always find a way. And nothing proves that better than the following instances:
1. Love through a dance, drone and TikTok.
When Twitter user Jeremy Cohen looked outside his window during quarantine, he saw a girl dancing on her roof, perhaps to a TikTok song. By his own admission, ‘flirting is normally daunting’ for him, but quarantine heightened the need for social interaction.
And thus, he waved at her from the window, and when she responded, he sent his phone number via a drone to her. Next thing you know, they were texting!
2. A marriage on the streets, with window ‘blessings’.
Reilly Jennings, 28, and Amanda Wheeler, 38, got married, in the middle of a New York street, with their friend officiating from his fourth-floor apartment window.
Their four best friends cheered them on, but from inside a car. Forget will, where there is love, there is a way!
*Got me thinking, is this the Corona version of Monica and Chandler’s wedding, blessed by Joey?*
3. Wedding in the time of social distancing.
In San Juan Cosala, Mexico, Ian Karleff and Lucia Sol got married in the garden of their home, with three officials, and 300 guests on live video feed.
They sent invitations via email and used communication app Zoom, and Facebook live to host a live video feed. And just as it is in a traditional wedding, the conversation even got too loud over the chat and other guests had to mute the chats.
4. Meet-cute over toilet paper rolls.
While most people in Japan hoarded essentials like toiler paper rolls, Twitter user @shihon029 experienced a meet-cute over them. She was at a supermarket, paying for her stock of toiler paper rolls, when she heard the store clerk inform a man that they were out of toilet paper rolls.
She offered to help the man, and in the ensuing conversation, both admitted that they stayed alone. They exchanged contact information, and soon after, the man messaged to thank her over the app LINE. What followed was a dinner date, and the two are now dating.
5. Communicating through the glass panes!
Gene Campbell, 89 and Dorothy Campbell, 88 have been married for 65 years but were forced to spend time apart when the long-term care facility Gene was staying at after his stroke, went on a lockdown. However, Dorothy still found a way to talk to her husband.
Accompanied by her son, the two communicated using phones while looking at each other through glass panes.
6. Separated by quarantine, united by love (and safety measures).
After being hit by Coronavirus, cruise ship Diamond Princess was quarantined in Japan, with 350 people testing positive for the virus. While most US citizens were evacuated, some had to be quarantined in Japan. And that led to Dale and Shelly Grizzle being separated for the first time in their lives.
After being apart for three weeks, the two were finally reunited. Thereafter, the couple even shared the message to not panic, be smart, and regularly wash hands.
7. Forget window-dressings, it’s time for window-weddings.
Wedding planner Alba Díaz spent months planning her own wedding to Daniel Camino. There were guests flying in from as far as Iceland and a transformed warehouse was the venue. But, when Spain went on a nationwide lockdown, the two realized that though they had spent a lot of time and money in planning their wedding, they could not have so many people gather in a small place.
The wedding almost seem cancelled, until the two decided to still go ahead with it, but from a different venue – their windows. A next-door neighbour led the ceremony, while another acted as witness. And pretty soon, the entire neighbourhood cheered them on, through their windows.
8. Bring your own cup wedding.
In the middle of the Riverside Park, New York, a couple hosted an impromptu wedding when they realized the city was shutting down due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Molly Rosner and Paul Anderson sent a last-minute email, informing people about the change in date and asking them to bring their own cups to the wedding. The guest, who could show up, stood six feet apart as the wedding march played on a phone and the couple exchanged their vows.
9. A wedding featuring face masks, gloves and sanitizers.
Strange times call for stranger measures – like giving hand sanitizers as wedding favours, having the minister stand six feet apart from the bride and groom, and the couple wearing gloves. This is exactly what happened in Vallejo, California, during Jon and Megan Buttaro’s nuptials.
Because the bride has asthma, she was at high risk to the virus. And when their appointment was cancelled, their friend–who is also a legal minister– ordained their impromptu wedding. All the guests stood six feet apart, and the bride took off her gloves to wear the ring. It may not have been a traditional ceremony, but there was no shortage of love.
And here I am, on quarantine, and still waiting for a reply. Maybe I should take a hint!