In March when lockdown was enforced, weddings and all other social gatherings were paused to curb the spread of Covid-19. As lockdown restrictions eased with time, weddings were permitted to have not more than 30 people in attendance. 

Many who had planned their weddings this year had to set new dates, or adjust their plans according to the guidelines. But towards the festive season, new Covid-19 measures were imposed by the government, including the prohibition of weddings and other social gatherings. 

A Covid-wedding

Joseph Mbonimpa and his fiancée Queen Mwamikazi planned their wedding for December. The civil ceremony was supposed to take place on December 17 whereas the religious ceremony was slated for Boxing Day at Saint Etienne Cathedral in Nyamirambo.

Had they known that the dates of their ceremonies would be under strict guidelines to curb Covid-19, they would have re-scheduled it, Mbonimpa says. 

Sitting in his bedroom following a football match, Mbonimpa came across the cabinet resolutions sent by a friend on WhatsApp, halting various social gatherings, weddings included.

"I was shocked and felt really down. My fiancée too. The future looked bleak,” he says.

Early the next morning, the couple, along with some others, were at the sector to see if there was any chance to have their weddings as planned. 

"Of course, I had to pretend I was strong, but I was really down. You can’t cry in front of your girl, and on her side, she really looked dispirited,” he adds.

After talking to the sector officials, they were told it could only be a ceremony for four (with two witnesses)—something they came to terms with as "God’s plan”.

"We had no other choice, we just thought it was God’s plan and moved on,” he says.

Unexpected happiness

"Normally, excitement and happiness during a wedding come from family and friends, but as we were only going to be four, we did not expect any form of happiness,” he says.

However, after the civil ceremony, the 30-year-old says he felt really happy despite not having his friends and family around.  

"I don’t know where the happiness came from, I guess from my bride,” he muses, adding, "I think I was happy because we were only four, there is some joy that comes with a small number of people.”

The businessman by profession says that the joy he had was more than he expected. "It is a wedding with no expenses. It is ideal for people who want to get married but lack the finances to organise a wedding,” he says, citing that it is also less stressful. 

Guests in spirit 

Mbonimpa says most of his relatives and friends sent messages congratulating him, which was very touching.

"Most of my friends and relatives sent me messages. It reached a point where I felt like they were with me. One of them wrote, ‘Though we did not get a chance to be with you physically, our feelings are with you’, so it really encouraged me and I envisioned their presence,” Mbonimpa says.

Necessary precaution

Mbonimpa, a Nyarugenge resident, recognises the intensity of the pandemic, and says that the government’s initiatives through several guidelines were necessary to curb the spread of the pandemic.

"We can’t complain. We have to be guided. Stopping weddings was done for the common good and we have to understand that,” he notes.

Though there were many positive outcomes regarding Mbonimpa’s wedding, he says that encounters still prevail. He is troubled by how some people crossed borders to attend the weddings of their sons and daughters, and now are unable to.

Even though Mbonimpa and Mwamikazi are now legally married, the couple says they will not live together until they’ve had a religious ceremony, as anything contrary to that, to many, is frowned upon, or taboo.