The video of the bridal couple entering an empty wedding venue went viral this week, leaving many people wondering why.
While the bride, Kalina Marie, says that she hasn’t received any excuses or reasons why family and friends didn’t pitch, she does share the events leading up to the wedding in a video she posted a few days ago.
She shares that having been together for nine years, she and her husband got engaged in 2019.
However, like many couples navigating the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, their wedding plans were forced to be put on hold.
In January of this year, Marie announced their rescheduled wedding date for October and excitedly shared the good news on Facebook for the subsequent 10 months.
“I created a Facebook event and invited everyone I could and also sent out over 25 invitations to our elders and those not on social media to make sure they were included as well,” she explained in the heartfelt video.
With 40 RSVPs in hand, the bride invested considerable effort into preparing for her big day, ensuring that the venue was arranged appropriately and that her mother catered enough food for all expected guests.
Marie even took the initiative to check in with the invitees in the week leading up to the ceremony, confirming attendance with “at least 20 people” who expressed excitement about the day and mentioned the outfits they would be wearing.
Yet, despite her meticulous planning, the event quickly turned into a heartbreaking ordeal, leaving the newly-weds to grapple with the question, “why?”
In her emotional video update, she lamented the lack of explanations from her friends and family concerning their sudden absence.
“If I could answer that, I would tell you. And no, I haven’t really received a lot of messages explaining why people weren’t there or giving me excuses,” she shared.
In the aftermath of the mass no-show, Marie chose to focus on the positive.
“I’m actually thankful for this,” she said, emphasising that it allowed her and her husband to discern who truly cared about them.
