Coronavirus: Couple get married on New York street during pandemic while friend officiates from apartment window

Reilly Jennings described her impromptu ceremony as the 'most New York moment ever'

A New York couple got married on the street as a friend officiated from a window as a way to celebrate their love amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Reilly Jennings, 28 and Amanda Wheeler, 38, tied the knot in an impromptu ceremony on a small street in Manhattan after having to cancel their wedding plans due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A friend, who happened to be a licensed officiant, married them from the fourth-floor window of his apartment in what turned out to be a beautiful moment.

During the ceremony, he read an excerpt from the novel “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez.

“It was the most New York moment ever and was even more special to share with the entire neighbourhood in such a scary and uncertain time,” Ms Jennings told CNN. “I love this city.”

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A video of the ceremony has gone viral on social media, where onlookers can be seen standing from a distance and cheering in support as the partners say “I do.”

The couple had to push forward their wedding which was originally planned for October until the outbreak of Covid-19 meant the chances of being able to go through with the wedding they had originally planned seem increasingly slim, according to her Instagram post.

They managed to secure a marriage license and were planning to get married at the courthouse on Friday, just before Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the marriage bureau would be closing indefinitely.

“I definitely panicked,” Ms Jennings told NBC News. “I was freaking out a little bit. I just wanted to get it done.”

The city has remained in a state of emergency amidst the pandemic since 7 March, with more than 4,500 cases confirmed within the city alone.

However, the two managed to come up with a creative and safe way to ensure they could celebrate their partnership and get married.

“After a somber afternoon, one of our friends texted us on a group chat, letting us know he was ordained by the county clerk of New York and could do it,” Ms Jennings told CNN.

“We texted, 'Wanna marry us outside your window in the next 24hrs?' and he said 'YES!' To that I replied, 'How about in 90 minutes?' We both finished up work meetings, got dressed, picked up some flowers, and headed to his apartment around the corner,” she said.

The Instagram video has more than 70,000 views and the comments are filled with well wishes for the couple’s shared love in the face of adversity.