Photo courtesy of Erica Calandria – Sagum
MANILA, Philippines – A couple who sought clarification about the possible extension of their marriage license got the surprise of their lives when the presiding officer asked them if they want to get married on the spot instead.
Netizen Erica Calandria – Sagum shared on her Facebook profile a story of how she and her husband got married last March 30 — not wearing their formal attires — but just being in ordinary, normal day clothing, with just their bare faces and masks on.
Sagum said in her post that they were set to be married last April 25, but the lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to postpone their wedding. But since their marriage licenses would expire on June 3, the couple asked the Mayor’s office if they could reset their wedding to a date before the licenses’ expiration.
To their surprise, the mayor of General Trias, Cavite, immediately asked them if they wanted to do it right on the spot. And for the ring — the mayor’s staff provided an improvised one for them to complete the ceremony.
“Our wedding was supposedly last April 25 but got postponed and rescheduled due to COVID. Since our license will expire on June 3, we decided to have a civil wedding,” Sagum said.
“Yesterday afternoon, we went to the Mayor’s office to ask if we can schedule our civil wedding not later than the expiry date. And surprisingly, the Mayor asked if we want to get married on the spot, and of course, we said yes!” she added
Despite being surprised, Sagum said that what is important in all marriages is for both parties to say “I do,” and commit to loving each other.
But in these times, maintaining physical distancing is also essential — hence their decision to live separately for now.
“Been searching for a white dress to wear on my special day, learning how to do make up and hairstyling on my own for my wedding but who would have thought will be ended up wearing checkered shirt, leggings and white shoes with bare face and with mask pa on my wedding,” Sagum said.
“Ang importante ikaw ang ka ‘I DO’ ko Einnolav Meosjin. Pero kanya kanya muna tayo haha ang importante apelyido mo na gamit ko,” she added.
A lot of plans, including marriages, have been suspended due to the pandemic, which has forced people to take precautionary measures against the mass gathering. Celebrity Emma Stone and her fiance Davy McCary have also postponed wedding plans because of the disease.
However, some others have shown that the pandemic cannot be a hindrance to true love — like Korean host and model Jinri Park who decided to continue the ceremonies, albeit in a more straightforward manner.