Couple Kept Apart By Pandemic Touch For First Time In 84 Days On Wedding Day

A couple who had not been able to touch for 84 days because of the coronavirus pandemic were emotionally reunited and held hands for the first time on the morning of their wedding day. Things changed rather rapidly for 21-year-olds Nikita Hundt and her then-boyfriend Peter Brown, who had planned a wedding at the end of summer but were forced apart because of COVID restrictions. At the start of the pandemic in 2020, Nikita's sister was about to have a baby who would require surgery a few days after she was born due to health issues. As a result, Nikita and her family, from Kitchener, Ontario, decided to isolate – "no one in, no one out" – but because Peter was an essential worker, he remained separate from his girlfriend. The couple made dates through the likes of FaceTime calls, but after a couple of months, they still had not made physical contact. Their wedding was originally planned for September 24, 2020, but with that no longer looking like an option in early summer, they decided to move the date forward to June 8, 2020. According to Nikita, restrictions meant they were only allowed five people present, and so she and Peter picked a pastor and two videographers, Jon and Meg of Bonsai Creative. For their first in-person meeting, they decided to do their own pandemic-style first-look shoot – in this case, a first touch, filmed in a remote location on a series of sand hills. With the cameras rolling, Peter stood with his back to Nikita as she walked toward him in her wedding dress. The 21-year-old then put his hand back so that his wife could hold it, immediately welling up as he turned around to make eye contact.