Hospital Hosts Mass Wedding For Nurses

For groom Wu Xianbing, a delayed wedding is well worth the wait if his bride Chen Mei decided to postpone it, to save the lives of others.

Chen is nurse from Renji Hospital, who signed up for the emergency medical team to aid Wuhan, where the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. As a result, the couple delayed their wedding ceremony that was originally scheduled for Spring Festival, as well as a three-month separation for the couple.

“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 mid-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 organised a mass wedding on the 1st of May to commemorate their love and selfless contributions during this difficult time.

Held at the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai, the collective ceremony was decorated with ribbons and florals, and 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. 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.”

Xia Qiang, Party chief of Renji Hospital.

Another groom, Gao Yang, said that he has promised his wife that he will do all the domestic work in the future, as the Wuhan trip gave him a precious sneak peak into his wife’s job intensity.

“She was too busy to respond on WeChat during her time in Wuhan. So I sent her a virtual red packet via WeChat every day. As long as she clicked ‘accept’, I knew she was back in her dorm and managed to have some rest.”

Gao Yang, Nurse’s husband

Richard Saul, the General Manager of the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai, said that a number of special offerings will be given to medical workers, including discounts on meals and drinks, as well as complimentary stays and perks at the hotel for their first anniversary, should the couple book a wedding ceremony at the hotel.

“We are more than proud to offer a historic venue and dedicated services that bring memorable sparkles to the medical heroes’ most significant moments in life. We want to express our sincere gratitude to these true heroes that protect and save people’s lives with selfless efforts.”

Richard Saul, General Manager of the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai

Tens of thousands of medical teams began returning to their homes in batches since middle March, as the epidemic situation markedly improved in Wuhan, the once hardest-hit city.

We simply love that the hospital was able to do this for its staff, and are eternally grateful for everything medical staff does for us!

Digital Content Coordinator: Zoe Kanlis

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