The bride who hosted an Australian wedding where 42 people tested positive for the coronavirus says the experience brought her closer to her husband

• An Australian bride spoke about what it was like to discover 42 of her wedding guests had tested positive for the coronavirus while on her honeymoon.
• Emma Metcalf said she and her new husband Scott Maggs felt "some guilt," however they knew they "hadn't done anything wrong" by hosting the ceremony and reception on March 6, before restrictions or travel bans were put in place.
• Speaking with Marie Claire, Metcalf added that the experience brought her even closer to the groom.
• "Despite what's happened, I will always remember our wedding as a day filled with extreme amounts of love. I'm grateful to spend the rest of my life with Scott — knowing we can overcome the craziest – and most serious — situations together."
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An Australian woman who discovered that 42 of her wedding guests tested positive for COVID-19 said that while she felt "some guilt," she knew she "hadn't done anything wrong" by hosting the ceremony before restrictions were put in place.

Emma Metcalf and Scott Maggs were informed that two guests from their March 6 wedding had tested positive for the virus just days into their honeymoon in the Maldives last month.

Things only escalated from there. As the bride and groom started informing the rest of the wedding guests so they could get tested, more and more of their family and friends discovered they had contracted the coronavirus.

Speaking to Marie Claire, Metcalf opened up about how the experience brought her closer to her husband.

"Four days into our honeymoon, we found out two of our lovely guests had tested positive for COVID-19. It was a huge shock and, as you would imagine, it caused us a lot of worry," Metcalf told the publication.

After informing the other guests, Metcalf said they "asked everyone to 'be smart, but also be kind,' because the two guests who'd initially tested positive had experienced a little bit of stigma, finger-pointing and blaming."

"Of course, we also couldn't help feeling some guilt that our beautiful day had now impacted so many people — even though we knew we hadn't done anything wrong," she said.

Metcalf pointed out that at the time of her wedding, there were no restrictions or travel bans in Australia, where the wedding took place.

"We would never have put people at risk knowingly," she said. "If we knew then what we know now, we wouldn't have gone ahead with the wedding."

And, while the couple both remarkably tested negative for the virus, they were still required to self-isolate for a week when they arrived back in Australia after their honeymoon.

Metcalf , who says she struggled being separated from her loved ones, added that she "could not have gotten through" the experience without the support of her new husband.

"He's had to pull me off the floor a couple of times and has kept a calm, beautiful, level head on him. We've joked that we knew the universe would test us as a married couple, but we didn't realize how strong it would push us in the first week," she said.

"Luckily, it's brought us closer — and really cemented that I married the right guy. My life is infinitely better with him."

She added: "This week, we've started getting text messages from people saying they're in the clear. That's all we can hope for; our loved ones to be healthy and safe.

"Despite what's happened, I will always remember our wedding as a day filled with extreme amounts of love. I'm grateful to spend the rest of my life with Scott — knowing we can overcome the craziest – and most serious — situations together."

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