Indian couple in UAE hosts 'drive-by wedding ceremony' due to COVID-19

Dubai: An Indian couple in the UAE has organised a “drive-by wedding ceremony” where guests were allowed to wish them from their cars only, in a bid to maintain social distancing due to the COVID-19, a media report said.

Muhammed Jazem and Almas Ahmed from Kerala first had their ‘Nikah’ then they stood under a flower arch outside their home in Dubai for a socially-distanced wedding reception, Khaleej Times reported.

The couple’s family members and friends, who could not attend the marriage, stopped their cars outside the newlyweds’ home and wished them.

“We asked our guests to stop only for a few moments, give us their best wishes, take a picture and then they could drive away,” Jazem said.

“We instructed them not to step out of the car, to keep moving to avoid traffic, and not pull over,” he said.

Jazem and Almas, who grew up in the UAE, had an arranged marriage.

Jazem, an aeronautical engineer with Emirates Airline, said that since their parents and many of their relatives are elderly, they did not want to have a big event because they fall under the high-risk category.

Almas, a final-year medical student, said that they were inspired by similar wedding receptions hosted in the UK.

Though the Dubai government has given the green signal to host socially distanced ceremonies, the couple decided to stick to their drive-by reception plan.

Fortunately, there was not much traffic on the day.

The couple said that the idea was “very well received” by their friends and relatives.

“People were playing music and cheering us from their cars during the drive-by. They would stay in the car, take a picture, wish us and leave,” the newlyweds added.