A professional soldier in the north had to attend his wedding party in Turkey virtually because he was unable to travel due to pandemic restrictions, it emerged on Thursday.

According to news reports in Turkish Cypriot media, Yasin Aksal attended his wedding party through a video call from Cyprus while his bride was at the wedding venue in Turkey.

The couple got married months ago and had arranged to have a wedding ceremony, but he could not travel because of restrictions due to the pandemic. The couple and their families decided to proceed with the ceremony, even in the groom’s physical absence, because they had booked the venue months ago.

online wedding

The groom tunes in online

The bride, Nagihan Aksal, had her first dance after entering the ceremony hall, with her father, instead of her groom, in tears.

She told Anadolu Agency that they had arranged the ceremony date in advance but on the actual day, the groom was unable to attend. No information was given on when exactly the ceremony took place.

“I am not very happy. It is a strange feeling to have a wedding without a groom,” she said.

The bride is expected to travel to the north to be with her husband, reports said.