For two years, Low and her daughter, Crystal Lee, had done little else but plan for the wedding bash in the gambling haven of Macau. However, Covid-19 made sure no family member, including Low and her husband, could make the trip to Macau to see their daughter tie the knot with her Prince Charming.

“With so much uncertainty on the Covid-19 situation, my husband and I thought it was their happiness that mattered. Our wishes and prayers are more important than our presence (in Macau),” a teary-eyed Low told FMT.

She said Macau has some strict quarantine rules for Malaysians, that is 21 days with two Covid-19 tests during the stay. Low said the family would have also had to quarantine themselves upon their return if they had gone for the wedding.

“It would have not only been a costly affair if all of us had gone but it would also mean being away from work for too long. So, we really had to weigh the pros and cons before deciding to stay home and watch on Facebook.

“Although postponing was an option until the Malaysian borders are open, we decided against it as the date was fixed two years ago before Covid-19 hit the world,” she said.

Low said her son-in-law Patrick is a Macau citizen whom her daughter met while studying in Taiwan. Being a total virtual atmosphere, they lost out on the traditional tea ceremony which is a meaningful event for the elders.

“All our relatives and friends watched the event live on Facebook from their respective homes. It was a totally new experience and very subdued without the usual ‘yam seng’ and all. They had it in a small hall with about 10 dinner tables as Macau has some SOPs that restrict the number of guests,” she said.

For Crystal, though there was much laughter and joy over in Macau, the nagging feeling that the two most important people in her life were not there did tug at her heartstrings quite a bit. She had spent months with her mother planning the most important day of her life.

“Never in my wildest dream did I think that Covid-19 will reduce my wedding joy to this extent. I could not hold my emotions when I read out my message of thanks to my parents on Facebook during the event. I really wanted to hug them so badly during that moment.

“But I guess until travelling is allowed and the fear of Covid-19 is completely overcome, there are going to be more such weddings as we have a huge Malaysian diaspora globally,” she said.

With so much uncertainty on the travel restrictions, many Malaysians who could not return have had to postpone their wedding ceremonies, while a few have gone ahead abroad with their relatives and friends in Malaysia watching online.