Under a sunny sky in a midtown parkette on Saturday afternoon, Sylvester and Leslie Wong tied the knot with a tiny, socially-distanced wedding.

Their vows were not witnessed by the 130 guests they’d planned for but instead were made before an officiant and two best men — a necessity due to the provincial ban on gatherings of more than five people in the fight against COVID-19.

Wearing white satin gloves, a tiara, a veil and a mask, Leslie was escorted down the aisle by the couple’s German shepherd, Luna. Passersby did double takes as the rings were exchanged and people watching from front porches across the street clapped and called out their congratulations when the newlyweds kissed.

“We’re so happy. It doesn’t seem real,” said Sylvester after the ceremony.

“During this dystopian, sci-fi existence we’re in now, the very things that come naturally to us — to want to reach out, to hug each other — we can’t do them,” said City Councillor Josh Matlow, who connected the couple with Toronto Public Health to ensure the nuptials met distancing regulations.

“While we’re all respecting social distancing rules to save lives, we can’t forget about the future,” he said. “Our important relationships, that’s what’s going to get us through this.”

While it may not have been the wedding they had envisioned, the Wongs decided to go through with it after Leslie’s father, David Gordon, passed away in March. It wasn’t from COVID-19, but the visitor restrictions at the hospital kept her and Sylvester away during his final days.

“During one of our last conversations, he gave me permission to marry his daughter,” Sylvester said.

They had been planning their wedding for 18 months and had rented Artscape Wychwood Barns, and hired a caterer. But in February, with news the coronavirus was spreading around the world, all their plans were for naught.

“When the pandemic really reared its head, we wanted to protect our guests,” said Sylvester. “So we postponed.”

They were able to get their deposit back from their venue, and the caterer let them postpone.

But as the weeks of lockdown multiplied with no end in sight, the couple decided they had to do something to put an end to the waiting and uncertainty.

The date, April 25, was special. It was selected because it’s their two-year anniversary as a couple.

“We wanted to keep the date, so we said: ‘Let’s do it anyway,’ ” he said.

They contacted their landlord about holding a small ceremony in the garden outside their building, and then reached out to Matlow and Toronto Public Health. “We wanted to keep social distancing rules,” said Sylvester. “We didn’t want any fines.”

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He submitted a plan that involved just five participants, each standing two metres apart, with hand sanitizer at the ready and multiple pens for everyone to sign the marriage certificate. Toronto Public Health gave the go-ahead and Sylvester then forwarded it to city by-law enforcement and his landlord.

“We definitely appreciate all the challenges going on in the world these days. When this email came in, it was nice to be involved in something so positive,” said Dan Mack, general manager RPMS Property Management. “Our immediate desire was to help.

“I’m incredibly happy for them. They couldn’t have had a better day,” said Mack, who arranged for flowers for the ceremony and a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, in memory of Leslie’s father.

While there were only five people present, the Wongs sent a link out to their original guests and the wedding was livestreamed on Facebook.

A drone hovered above the couple taking video that would be shared as a token of hope for the day when everyone can again come together.