A speech was done by the bride's aunt. It was supposed to be the speech of the bride's mother, but as the mother has cancer, she couldn't talk for a long time. So the aunt was giving the speech written by the bride's mother.
It all started when in November 2018, Mark and Kirtana came to meet us. They had this huge destination wedding planned in August 2020. We had it all set up and I was surprised how early they finished up booking all the vendors...!! One night I received a phone call from Kirtana mentioning that they are reconsidering to pull the wedding and do it locally instead of a destination. She mentioned that her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and she wasn't feeling good. I was so sad as this couple had a shine in their eyes when they talked about a destination wedding.
As of January 2019, the whole world was captivated by the coronavirus (COVID-19), but to the worst, Kirtana called me again and mentioned that the wedding will have to be preponed to March 28, 2020. She mentioned that her mother's progression of cancer was severe and she might not be there to attend the wedding in August. I was in shock and did not know how to comfort her. The only words that were - "No worries Kirtana - We will make this wedding happen - no matter what"
The couple decorated the whole house - despite all the shops closed and COVID-19 spreading rapidly. The couple had sleepless nights and kept decorating their house with flowers and other items from the store Michaels. Mark is a former RCMP and current police and was handy with tools, so he made the Altar ("Mandap") while Kirtana with her sister used their decor skills and turned the living room into a beautiful altar. We had only 10 people in the house including the priest. This couple is a classic example of how to love each other and respect each other's wishes and how to be supportive in times of difficulty.
I have no words for Mark being such a supportive groom but even Kirtana being such a supportive daughter who put aside their dreams for the family and made this small wedding possible. Oh let's not forget, it's only because of the coronavirus situation that this wedding was kept limited to only 10 people. :) Despite all these difficulties, the couple made this possible and trust me it was more fun than a 100 person wedding!!
