Do you want to have a virtual marriage?

Like most women, Nicole, 26, has always dreamed of having a grand wedding – well-planned, held in a nice venue, with photo and video coverage, where she marches down the aisle in a wedding dress.

- VANNE ELAINE P. TERRAZOLA

She also wants her relatives and friends to be there. “But of course 'di na ideal 'yong ganoong events 'cause of the pandemic; limited na lang talaga dapat mga guests (those events are no longer ideal because of the pandemic, the number of guests have to be limited),” she said.

Last year, many events, among them weddings, which gather a crowd were canceled or postponed due to the health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 Among the protocols was the imposition of limited number of people allowed in churches or private venues.

But as they say, life has to go on, and love stories need to have happy endings – even during a pandemic.

So, why not legalize a virtual wedding via videoconferencing?

At the House of Representatives recently, House Bill No. 7042 or the proposed Virtual Marriage Act, was filed to legalize weddings done via videoconferencing.

Its proponent, Kabayan Party List Rep. Ron Salo, said it “now is the opportune time to legalize the virtual marriage to adapt to present realities and fully utilize technological advances.”

With the need to enforce physical distancing in the light of the current pandemic, virtual presence has become an accepted alternative, even in legal proceedings, here and abroad. Indeed, videoconferencing is now the new norm, Salo said in explaining his bill during a House hearing held last Tuesday, February 9.

They still prefer an old fashioned wedding

News of the bill though was not met with enthusiasm from couples who are waiting to get married. Comments ranged from the virtual ceremony taking away the essence of a wedding, to a ceremony that does not seem like a real wedding for it takes away the solemnity of a once in a lifetime event.