Outside the closed glass door of the marriage registration hall, newlyweds Zuo Wei and Hu Jinpeng posed for a photo as part of a greatly simplified ritual.
Marriage registration in Wuhan used to culminate with a ceremony, where lovebirds were handed the certificate, made a marriage vow and smiled for the cameras. This ritual, however, was suspended as the city calls for continued vigilance against the novel coronavirus epidemic.
"We regret the loss of the sense of ceremony, but it also made our marriage special in some ways," said the couple, who instead used their own smartphones to record every step of the registration at the Wuchang District Marriage Registration Office.
Wuhan's marriage registration offices resumed service on April 3 and started to receive the first group of newlyweds this week as, under a new policy, applicants must make a reservation two workdays in advance and book different time slots to prevent queues or crowds.
On Friday, newlyweds kept turning up at the Wuchang office. Before entering, they were required to present health codes, received disposable gloves, had their temperatures checked by a face-recognition device and their shoes disinfected. They were then guided to one of the two open windows for a 15-minute registration. They only pulled down their masks for several seconds to complete identity checks.
Limited by the reservation rule, the office received 20 couples wishing to tie the knot on Thursday, the largest number since its reopening. The figure was down from several hundred on an auspicious date before the outbreak, but staff said their phones "kept ringing" with marriage registry inquiries. Another one or two couples visited the office to file for divorce each day.
Zuo and Hu had planned to tie the knot on Wednesday to "turn a new leaf on life" together with Wuhan, which lifted its 76-day lockdown that day. But after failing to book an empty slot on the online booking service, they had to delay their big day to Friday.
The couple's parents were surprised by their decision to rush into marriage three months after starting a romantic relationship in January, but Zuo said the epidemic allowed them plenty of time to think carefully about their choice.
"We spent hours each day talking with each other via video calls," said Zuo who was observing home isolation in Xiaogan, a city near Wuhan, while Hu was home quarantined in Beijing. "Unable to work, we had a lot of time to reflect on the issue of marriage."
Wang Ruilong and Zhu Jing were another Wuhan couple whose marriage registration, initially scheduled in January, was delayed until Thursday due to the epidemic.
"The epidemic didn't have much impact on us. We had a very stable relationship," said Wang, who lived with his then-fiancee during the city's lockdown.
The only change is in their wedding plan, which has been shelved as authorities warned against mass gatherings. "Our families and friends understood our choice. My wife is pregnant and we will hold a wedding after she gives birth. We hope the blessing can come in twos," said Wang.
