On July 19, Daniel Budd of Riverview, N.B. and Jooyeon Park of Seoul said their vows in front of 250 people in South Korea’s capital.
Near the front on the groom’s side sat a laptop, streaming his family’s beaming faces from Canada.
This special Zoom crowd included his sister in St. John’s, N.L. and 15 others at their Cameron Beach, N.S. cottage, who gathered in party dress to celebrate with cake, champagne, food and games — early at 2:30 a.m. ADT.
In Korean tradition, the ceremony starts with the groom walking out, which surprised his mother.
“It was just so real, as if we were really there,” said Diane Budd. “I was just watching my son walk down the aisle and wave as if he was waving at me.”
There were three virtual components to the wedding — a YouTube livestream and Facebook event page for family and friends across the globe and Dan’s family on Zoom. He was surprised by a best wishes video, and livestream comments were visible by the Korean crowd. One special moment was when the parents greeted one another — minus the traditional Korean bow.
“It's going to be hard for us ever to have both sides of the family all together at once,” said Dan, whose family is spread across New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Alberta. “So, it was really unfortunate that that couldn't happen. But it was great that we could do it as much as possible.”
Up to a month before the wedding, the Budds were still discussing suits and dress fittings, holding onto the hope that they could make the trip.
In January, when COVID-19 first hit South Korea, they booked the venue for July with the belief that things would be back to normal. They were lucky that the ceremony, which included contact tracing procedures, did not take place just a month later — Seoul is currently facing an uptick in COVID-19 cases, with indoor gatherings now limited to 50 people.
Diane highly recommends that people take advantage of technology during this pandemic.
“I didn't feel like I missed it,” said Diane. “I missed being there to celebrate with them before and after and to take part, but I honestly felt like I had an opportunity to attend my son's wedding and participate.”
The couple, who met nearly six years ago while Dan was teaching, hope to return to Canada next year for a celebration.
#Because 2020 is a series of stories about the unique situations people in Atlantic Canada have found themselves in this year. Have a story to share? Email [email protected].