Only five minutes each for the wedding ceremony, photo shoot and meal: the wedding of Michael and Iris Herwagen from Bad Tölz had a very special character.
Bad Tölz - Getting married in times of the corona crisis: This is a very special experience. The Tölzer Iris Herwagen and her husband Michael now know that, despite all adversity on March 19, they got married in the Tölzer Rathaus. It wasn't really solemn: "Five minutes of wedding ceremony, five minutes of photo shoot, five minutes of eating" is how Iris Herwagen describes the unusual process.
The two actually wanted to get married on March 30th. But then the news worried them, and more and more exit restrictions began to be discussed. Herwagen therefore asked registrar Wolfgang Steger to bring the wedding earlier: "He agreed on Wednesday that we could get married on Thursday," she says. Everything had to be planned within 24 hours. Herwagen informed her best friend, who happens to be a wedding photographer. The couple did not wear witnesses. "It was not a big change for us because we were married alone anyway and didn't want to celebrate with the family until evening," says the 51-year-old. "So everything wasn't so bad for us."
The couple had to walk through the side entrance into the town hall: "Somehow the empty town hall was creepy," says the fitness trainer. “We had to step over boxes of election documents when we went inside. I felt a little overdressed with my wedding dress. ”The wedding ceremony was also“ very strange ”. "The Wolfi was not allowed to shake hands with us and could not congratulate us." The registrar had noticed the tension: "For him it was the first wedding under these circumstances. He didn't really know how to handle it. "
A quick burger than lunch
After the wedding, Herwagens got in their car and told their families that they had married very quickly - "and then we quickly bought a burger". Lunch was done in five minutes. The photo shoot should also take place very quickly, "because we take the exit restrictions seriously". The pictures were taken in the photographer's garden within five minutes: "Then we went straight back home."
Since her workplace in the gym is currently closed, she is currently "involuntarily honeymooning" with her husband. Nevertheless, Herwagen says: "All the circumstances have confirmed that we belong together." At the moment, she is waiting for the registry office to open again so that she can can have their ID rewritten. Birte Otterbach, spokeswoman for the city of Bad Tölz, points out that wedding ceremonies may continue, "because they are considered a sovereign act and not an event". However, only the registrar, the newlyweds, the groomsmen and, if necessary, an interpreter were allowed to be involved.
Currently two to four weddings per week in Bad Tölz
There are currently between two and four weddings per week: "Most couples stick to the date," says Otterbach. Sometimes for practical reasons, since certain documents lose their validity after six months. Otterbach also states: "The wedding ceremonies at the moment already have a very special character."
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