“Our love is stronger than this pandemic.”

Patricia Matias married the love of her life, Chino Silvino, in what was meant to be in intimate wedding surrounded by friends and family in Perth.

However, amid an escalating coronavirus pandemic the Roma couple instead tied the knot at the Roma Courthouse with only two witnesses and their families dialled in on Zoom.

The bride said she was distraught when she first heard the news of the strict social distancing policies placed on weddings in late March.

“I cried – I had spent months of planning and organising every little detail for our special day,” the new Mrs Silvino told The Western Star.

“Realising that we wouldn’t be able to spend the day with our loved ones, was just disheartening.

“This is a milestone for us and it’s very significant for us to celebrate such event with our family and friends.”

The Silvinos had planned to bmarry last year but that was cancelled due to other circumstances.

“So we planned to do it this year, and when we thought everything was going smoothly … COVID-19 happened and we were forced to cancel our plans again,” Mrs Silvino said.

“We thought, ‘wait is the universe telling us not to get married?’

“But our love is stronger than this pandemic.

“So we said, ‘stuff it, let’s just to do’ and we did it one week earlier than the original date.”

The couple were married in the Roma Magistrate’s Court on April 8 surrounded by two work colleagues.

“It was actually really sad because it wasn’t what we planned,” she said.

“Nonetheless, we made the most out of it and we are happy because we are together.”

The couple had originally planned to have an intimate wedding in Perth, where Mr Silvino’s family is based.

Instead after the ceremony at the courthouse, the couple went home, cooked a meal and celebrated with family on Zoom.

“Our families made an effort to cook special meals at their home, drink and even dress up as if they were really attending the reception,” she said.

After the public health emergency is over, the couple plan to honeymoon in New Zealand, Japan or Fiji – they haven’t decided yet and have a well-deserved break.