Historic hotel holds mass ceremony for medics delaying weddings

For 27-year-old Wu Xianbing, a delayed wedding is well worth the wait - especially as his bride Chen Mei decided to postpone their own feast to save the lives of others.

Chen, a nurse from Renji Hospital, affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, signed up for the emergency medical team to aid Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus epidemic broke out.

That meant a delay of their wedding ceremony scheduled for Spring Festival, and a three-month separation for the love birds.

"We know it's hard but it's just the right thing to do," said Chen, who completed a 14-day quarantine and tested negative upon her return to Shanghai in middle April.

Like Chen and Wu, nine other couples, all including brides from Renji Hospital, chose to put off their own celebrations for the greater good. As such, the hospital organized a mass wedding on May 1 to commemorate their love and selfless contributions during this special time.

Held at the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund, the collective ceremony, decorated with ribbons and bouquets, was attended only by close family and friends as social distancing is still advised.

"Almost three months ago, the brides put on a white nurse uniform instead of white bridal veils. Now that they are back safe and sound, it's imperative that we host a ceremony for them," said Xia Qiang, Party chief of Renji Hospital.

"I hope they will learn to respect, tolerate, understand and support each other, after they go through this special experience at the start of their marriage."

Gao Yang, 29, said he has promised to do all the domestic work in the future as the Wuhan trip gave him a precious sneak peak into the job intensity for his wife Zhang Lin.