SINGAPORE — It was the day before her wedding reception that 27-year-old Tan Qi Ting's worst fears came true — she tested positive for Covid-19. 

The data analyst had been issued a health risk warning after she had been around a positive case a week before her wedding, which was scheduled for Feb 26. She had developed symptoms just five days before the wedding, but the first four days of testing returned negative results. 

"We were still more optimistic, because the tests showed that I was negative, and I only had a sore throat," she said. 

But the couple's hopes came crashing down on Feb 25 in the form of a second red line, Ms Tan and her fiance, Mr Joel Teng, told TODAY on Monday (March 7). 

"When I found out, both of us were really sad, because Joel took one whole year to plan this wedding, and I unfortunately fell sick," said Ms Tan. 

The couple were also supposed to officially tie the knot at the Registry of Marriages (ROM) on the day before the wedding reception, and that ceremony had to be postponed as well. 

They then came to a radical decision — they would go ahead with the wedding reception as planned, but with Ms Tan attending virtually over video call so as not to put her guests at risk. 

"Because she got Covid so soon before the wedding, logistically it was quite difficult for us to postpone it," said Mr Teng, 28. "We would rather just have it and get it done."

"We also had to be fair to the restaurant, as they had to prepare the food," Ms Tan said. She added that the 100 guests that were invited had also made plans to attend the wedding and she did not want to disrupt their schedules.

While there was initially "some pushback" over their video-call plans, eventually everyone supported it, said Mr Teng, who is a banker.

"Everyone understands nobody wants to get Covid, or get sick intentionally, especially the bride," he said.

A 'HYBRID' WEDDING 

So on the day of the wedding, Mr Teng walked down the aisle on his own while Ms Tan watched on over video call in isolation, her face flashed on a screen for the guests. 

While the champagne pouring and cake cutting were cancelled, the couple made their respective speeches to the guests, Mr Teng on stage and Ms Tan over video call. 

As the reception was held at two separate restaurants at Dempsey Hill — Candlenut and COMO Cuisine — Mr Teng had to do everything twice.

To connect with the guests, Mr Teng walked from table to table with Ms Tan on the line. 

Reflecting on how the wedding went, Ms Tan said that she managed to talk to everyone, who promised to meet the couple again after the wedding. 

"Joel had to be brave and put on a very strong front to go through the wedding without me... it didn't make the whole wedding very daunting or very sad that I had to miss my own wedding," she said. 

IGNORING THE NAYSAYERS, PUTTING HEALTH FIRST

The day after her wedding, Ms Tan put up a TikTok post about her experience, detailing how she had to attend her own wedding virtually. 

The post, which had gone viral with over 130,000 views as at Monday, garnered many comments wishing the couple well. 

However, there were also some who chided Ms Tan for not attending her own wedding, suggesting that she should not have tested at all. 

"I would have just hosted the wedding anyway IRL (in real life). It's your wedding. Guests are there for you, not the other way round," read one comment. 

"Test for what. Don't test nothing happen, just act blur (sic)," read another comment. 

Ms Tan said her main concern was that she and Mr Teng have grandparents in their 70s and 80s attending the wedding, and they also have cousins and friends with young children who could be more susceptible to the coronavirus.

"If I didn't test myself, I could end up passing Covid to my family and friends," she said.

"If we found out that someone contracted Covid because of our neglect, that's something that we wouldn't want to bear."

Shrugging off her absence, Ms Tan said: "It's just one day, but I'll always be with him (Mr Teng), so it's fine that I'm not there as long as we get the day over happily and safely." 

ROM COULD BE POSTPONED FOR A SECOND TIME

In the coming months, the couple hope that they will be able to hold small gatherings with close friends and family to properly celebrate tying the knot. 

"For us, the idea of a wedding is really to celebrate with a group of friends whom you want to share it with... we like the idea of having small intimate dinners with different people," said Mr Teng. 

And although the couple have had their wedding reception, they are still not officially married and remain engaged. Ms Tan had just recovered fully last week, and the ROM ceremony had been postponed to the coming weekend.

However, Mr Teng recently had a family member contract Covid, leaving the banker sweating on his own status. 

"It may be my turn to get Covid," said Mr Teng.