Niel is an emergency doctor-in-training based in Sydney, Australia, while Jigs is a doctor in the Philippines. Jigs flew to Sydney in March for their engagement photoshoot, and to their surprise, both Philippines and Australia declared a lockdown on all international flights just a day after he arrived. They were set to get married in the Philippines last April but they both found themselves stuck in Sydney and was unable to catch their flight back to Manila in time for the wedding! So, they opted for a simple ceremony in Sydney instead, having only two guests!

“We decided we are not going to let the COVID-19 pandemic get in the way of our plans. We really wanted to push through with a church wedding. Due to restrictions in Sydney, we were only allowed 5 people in the ceremony, including us and our priest!” Niel, Bride

“We ordered the clothes we were going to wear online. I ordered a cake from a local cafe, nothing personalized. The morning of the wedding, I dropped by a local flower shop to pick up the nicest bouquet they had. I did my own make up, my sister did my hair.” Niel, Bride

“My family prepared a quaint set-up at home to try and copy what would’ve been our reception styling at home, and it actually turned out really pretty! All our photos were taken by my siblings, mostly on camera phones.” Niel, Bride

“We prepared a Zoom meeting so that family and friends can watch our wedding live in their own homes. Some guests even dressed up in barongs and dresses at home!” Niel, Bride

“We had a bit more sunlight after the wedding, so we made a short trip to the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour bridge to take photos and immortalize the day we never expected we would have, but ended up being one of the best days of our lives.” Niel, Bride