LOVE CONQUERS ALL: Warwick couple livestream wedding
Social distancing measures were taken in stride when Renee Aspery and Benjamin Coe walked down the aisle at the weekend, proving love truly does conquer all.
The Warwick couple were forced to move their wedding forward when the Australian Government introduced a series of tough limits on public gatherings.
On Thursday, wedding parties became limited to five people: The couple marrying, the celebrant and two witnesses.
"I was freaking out," Renee said.
"It went from wondering if I'd be able to have the wedding, to realising, 'Holy crap! We can't have the wedding,' within a number of days.
"It was very, very intense."
Postponing the event was never an option, as the couple had a sick relative to consider.
Benjamin's mother, Wendy Terblanche, is fighting an illness that could see her movements further restricted during the progression of the pandemic.
"She was pretty emotional about it, she didn't really want us to (move up the wedding), and she felt it was a tough decision.
"It was actually quite easy.
"We couldn't risk her not being able to attend our wedding, that wasn't something we wanted to deal with."
The couple always planned to be married in their backyard, and with the help of Renee's mother Cathy Stevens, the ceremony space came together quickly, just as they'd wanted.
"It looked exactly how I'd envisioned," Renee said.
"Just minus the people!"
Their two-year-old son, Spencer, walked Renee to the aisle, while the mothers stood as witnesses.
10-year-old son Harley watched the vows excitedly, alongside the rest of the immediate family from the windows of the home, while the remainder of the would-be guests tuned in via livestream.
"They were very excited to attend a wedding from a couch, in their pyjamas," Renee said.
The pair could never have predicted how the world would change, back when Benjamin proposed almost one year ago, surprising Renee with a personalised rendition of her favourite song.
"We just had to wing it, in the end," she said.
"I feel we missed out on the atmosphere they would bring, but these were the cards we were dealt, and we're content with what we're able to do.
"We'll celebrate with everyone next year!"
