These brides couldn't walk down the aisle, so they went to the Italian Parliament instead - to protest. There are 10 women who were unable to marry on their original date, because of the pandemic.
Some of the women's wedding day was during the lockdown, others decided to postpone because of “stifling security measures,” which are still in force. This is Brenda's case.
BRENDA REPPUCCI
“Wearing a mask at your wedding reception is not a nice thing for a bride, nor is having to limit the number of guests. For us this has destroyed our dreams. We had everything ready, the gifts, everything. And everything has been postponed.”
Their pain and forced cancellations, adds to the fear of a whole sector that from one day to the next was put in danger.
For this reason, the Italian Association “Regalo, Bomboniera, Confetti e Wedding” promoted this protest. It is an organization that brings together 30,000 venders who live for events, like weddings. They say 500,000 peoples' jobs are at risk. According to their data, in 2019 there were more than 220,000 weddings in Italy but in 2020 there were only 8,000.
MARIO CANDITONE
Italian Wedding Association
“The problem is not that events were cancelled, but they were postponed. The sector must wait until next year with nothing for this year. That is why we ask that we be given unemployment or aid until December of next year.'
The Italian government now ruled the bride and groom don't have to wear a mask during the ceremony. However, problems like the arrival of guests from countries outside the European Union still remain to be resolved.
The pandemic has disrupted people's daily lives. Yet, there are also couples who agreed to marry with masks and no guests. Their family and friends followed the ceremony via streaming. It might not have been the ceremony they dreamed of, but coronavirus couldn't stop them from saying, 'I do.'
Javier Romero
Translation: Melissa Butz
