Cape Town – A Cape Town film-maker did not let public gathering restrictions get in the way of his wedding day.
Dan Mace planned and hosted a lockdown wedding in his yard with his fiancée, Gabi Esterhuizen.
Instead of cancelling their big day, Mace surprised Esterhuizen with guests made out of cardboard, and a friend officiated through a video call. Their dog Joey served as the ring bearer.
Mace was last month diagnosed with the coronavirus after returning from a trip to the US. He has since made a full recovery.
“I decided to get tested after the World Health Organisation reported that a newfound symptom was ‘the lack of taste and smell’, which I was, unfortunately, experiencing at the time. My results showed positive on March 21 and I went into quarantine at home immediately.”
Mace was discharged after 14 days of showing no symptoms.
He said he received his results on March 21, and they called the wedding off after the president’s speech on March 15, prohibiting gatherings of more than 100.
“At this point we did not know that I was positive. We are still doing our original wedding but it now moves out to sunny December. It took ages to plan.
"Gabs was pretty specific about the things she wanted and I really tried my best to ensure she got everything on her wish list. Now we all have more time to plan the finer details so I think it’s for the better anyway.”
Mace said he recently learned of the news of a couple in KZN who, along with their guests, were arrested for contravening lockdown regulations and went ahead with their wedding.
“I think that it is of utmost importance right now to realise how this could affect our beautiful nation.
"I think that our president as well as the supporting organisations have taken bold but well needed steps to ensure that we beat this virus, but that can only happen if we work together and follow the rules.”