Big weddings are out during the coronavirus pandemic, so Macedon Ranges newlyweds Fernada and Raymond DeMack found a new way to reach their 300-plus guest list on Saturday.
Chairs were empty as they said their vows at Sunbury Baptist Church but cameras captured and livestreamed every moment to friends and family.
All understood the significance of April 25, which marked the pair’s first date and link to the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross where Ray proposed months earlier.
In fact, the cross has drawn many lovers together including Ray’s own great-grandfather, one of the original builders of the cross, William DeMack and wife Daisy.
Ray’s mother Heather said the date was sentimental to the couple and they had huge support from friends and family.
“They felt the wedding was not about the party but about the commitment and what it means to each other,” she said.
“They wanted everyone there but of course they weren’t able to.”
Heather was one of the lucky five state-sanctioned wedding attendees on the day as well as Fern’s “adopted Australian father” who walked her down the aisle.
Ray’s family hails from Hesket, while Fern’s family, from Brazil, was unable to fly into the country due to pandemic restrictions.
Further celebrations are expected once COVID-19 restrictions lift.
