MUMBAI: For 29-year-old Mumbai-based merchant navy officer, Preet Singh, and Delhi girl, Neet Kaur , April 4 was supposed to mark the end of a year-long, long-distance relationship and the start of an exciting new life together.Not allowing the lockdown to play spoilsport, the couple stuck to the date. In a unique ceremony performed over a video calling app, they accepted each other as life partners with the blessings of both families and friends who had logged in from as far as Dubai , Canada and Australia.Dressed in wedding finery, their families even broke into a dance at the end of the ceremony and congratulatory speeches that lasted two hours. Preet’s sister and brother-in-law and little nephew tuned in from Canada and joined in the celebrations.“We were heartbroken because we had been planning the wedding for six months. But every cloud has a silver lining and we found ours too. We got to have a unique wedding,” said Preet, adding Neet will move in with him when the lockdown ends.“Since we believe the wedding is incomplete without the blessings of waheguruji, we will head to a gurudwara at the earliest opportunity to conduct the wedding ceremony as per Sikh tradition,” he added.The couple met online a year ago and started dating soon after. Preet said they decided to get married within six months.Neet and her family were scheduled to fly down to Mumbai on April 1.Preet said he came up with the idea of going ahead with the wedding and it was not difficult to convince their families to come on board.“Since it will not be safe to have a large gathering even after the lockdown is lifted, we decided to go ahead with the wedding,” Preet said. His bachelor party in Goa was already cancelled and the honeymoon in Sri Lanka also had to be postponed.The couple picked 11.30 am as it was convenient for everyone who attended from across the globe. “Our original guest list of around 150 had to be trimmed down to 50,” he said.Preet says Neet had mehendi on her hands and the date 4.4.20 etched. Once they were “virtually wedded”, guests helped themselves to chocolates they had kept ready. This was followed by a dance session.“The hardest part is not seeing each other after the ceremony, but the fact that we are married is good enough for me,” says Preet with a twinge of sadness, hoping they can have a bigger celebration once things normalize.