Celebrate a big party with numerous guests? Impossible in times of Corona. The crisis is also upsetting the wedding plans of several couples. The question arises: marry anyway or would you rather move?
Hamburg (dpa) - Yes with mouth protection? Conceivable in times of Corona. But Marlena and Sebastian Sternberg didn't get that far.
Because in her civil registry office in Hamburg's Eimsbüttel district, she finally separated a plexiglass window from the official. The couple wore the white mouth-nose masks embroidered with "Mr" and "Mrs" only for the photo after the wedding ceremony.
Church marriages hardly possible
However, large wedding celebrations are unthinkable in the Corona crisis. Those who wanted to marry in church usually have to reschedule - because many dioceses have postponed weddings. Even the proposal of the German Bishops' Conference to gradually relax the corona measures in the church suggests a postponement of the ceremony.
Appointments at the registry office can still be taken, but you have to be prepared for a simpler ceremony, says Helmut Dedy, general manager of the German Association of Cities. "The virus displaces romance." In addition to the newlyweds, only the groomsmen are allowed to be there, in some registry offices even that is prohibited.
The wedding in the circle of the close family, followed by a champagne reception - all of this was suddenly no longer possible for the Sternbergs. Despite the circumstances, the couple from the north decided to get married on the scheduled date. At the ceremony, the bride and groom were alone in the wedding room. Only the registrar and another official who had played the best man were there. "Nobody really noticed that now, as we said yes."
Many couples postpone the wedding date
It was very strange for her, says 26-year-old Marlena Sternberg. Also that they couldn't celebrate with the whole family afterwards. "It wasn't that great at the moment, but now it's actually really funny," she says. "It is important to us that we both say yes to each other." Ultimately, the bride and groom count as much as you plan around them.
A wedding in front of empty chairs was out of the question for Sabrina Kopp and Fabian Bühler. They could also have held their appointment in the registry office of an Ulm suburb. "But that's just not how we imagined it," says the future bride. The couple has therefore postponed the wedding ceremony and subsequent celebration from late May to late August. According to Dedy, about a third of all couples did the same and rescheduled the appointment at the registry office.
Kopp hopes that on the new date in August she will be able to celebrate with good conscience even at risk. But that's not entirely certain: "Of course, it can be that we still have to think about a Plan C," says the 27-year-old. Chancellor-in-chief Helge Braun (CDU) at least advised against planning family celebrations such as weddings for the summer in mid-April. "The risk that they will have to be canceled at short notice because the virus will be in the country all summer is simply too great."
Experts advise against large celebrations
Until the end of August, however, only events with 1000 participants or more are really forbidden. "However, since weddings are not major events per se, it remains to be seen how the decision will be made," comments the Federation of German Wedding Planners. The association hopes that the regulations will be relaxed soon, but has already postponed weddings planned for May and June. Braun also says: "If you have an event with 150 guests from all over Germany, then that's not a good thing from the point of view of the infection."
A new date, a new location, a new photographer - postponing a big event like the wedding is not that easy. The two would have been lucky financially, says the future bride Sabrina Kopp. Many service providers were very accommodating. But the situation is still a challenge. "At the moment there are a lot of emotions involved and also a lot of organization and uncertainty and uncertainty. If you make the right decision, you make the wrong decision? Is it too early or not at the end of August?"
It all has an effect on the mind: "The anticipation is definitely gone and I hope that it will come back sometime," says Kopp. At least the schedule and the location could hold on to the two, but the new date was not really optimal. They would even have to change the engraving of the rings.
Honeymoons are on the brink
Marlena and Sebastian Sternberg have also postponed their big celebration. Under the measures in force, they would never have come to their event location in Denmark. Because the borders are still tight at least until May 10th - they wanted to celebrate the day before. Now it has become an appointment in the coming year, with a voucher the two had no losses. "Everything turned out very well for us," she says.
The couple still have to worry about their honeymoon. In November the Sternbergs wanted to go to Bali for two weeks. "It is now so stupid that you sit there and think: do you cancel it now - or is it canceled, can you do it at all?" Says the newlywed. "The whole anticipation is somehow missing if you don't know what to do."
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