SINGAPORE - Five days before her wedding on Oct 6, Ms Pamela Soh, 30, tested positive for Covid-19.

The administrative staff member had mild flu symptoms, and her husband-to-be Casper Khoo, a 38-year-old sales executive, told her to do an antigen rapid test (ART) for the coronavirus.

She tested positive on the ART twice. A polymerase chain reaction test done at the clinic later confirmed her infection.

Ms Soh, who said she felt only "a bit sick", said: "My first thought when I tested positive was 'my wedding how?' I was shocked and scared."

She had a low-grade fever, a bit of a runny nose, sore throat and cough.

She recovered at home for 10 days and said her symptoms went away after the fourth day.

The couple are fully vaccinated, with Ms Soh receiving her second jab about 10 days before she tested positive for Covid-19.

Mr Khoo was not infected. Neither were Ms Soh's parents, whom she lived with.

Mr Khoo postponed their nuptials to Oct 26.

This was the earliest date they could do so, considering Ms Soh's recovery period and the availability of solemniser Joanna Portilla and close family members for the new date, he said.

The couple will say "I do" at the Peach Garden Chinese Restaurant at OCBC Centre next Tuesday (Oct 26) - the same venue as planned.

They are inviting 50 guests to their solemnisation and lunch banquet.

With the surge in Covid-19 cases in the past two months, solemnisers interviewed say they are seeing couples having to postpone their nuptials as Covid-19 hits close to home.

Either the bride, groom or their close family member was infected, or they had to be quarantined as they had come into contact with a Covid-19 patient.

Mrs Portilla, the marriage solemniser, has had about five couples in the past two months alone who postponed their solemnisations.

For example, a radiographer was supposed to tie the knot on Sept 18, the most popular wedding date so far this year, with 343 couples who said "I do".

But two days before her big day, she had to be quarantined as one of her patients contracted Covid-19.

The couple have since postponed their nuptials to November.

Mrs Portilla has another couple whose nuptials were to be on Oct 10, another very popular date this year.

But the groom's mother had to be isolated as she had contact with a Covid-19 patient. So the couple postponed their solemnisation to November.

Mrs Portilla said: "Wedding planning has been difficult for many couples as they have to deal with many unexpected changes.

"The two extremely frustrating situations, I think, that upset them are having an immediate family member contracting Covid-19 near their wedding day, or having guests who tellthem at the last minute that they would not be attending due to the alarming (Covid-19) numbers."

Ms Pauline Sim was scheduled to solemnise the marriage of a couple on Saturday (Oct 23), but on Thursday (Oct 21), she was informed that the wedding has been postponed to November.

This is because three-quarters of the about 20 guests had to be quarantined, as a family member of the couple tested positive for Covid-19.

For the Khoos, wedding planning started a few months ago.

On his fiancee getting infected with Covid-19, Mr Khoo said: "It was totally unexpected. Up to today, we are still wondering where she caught Covid-19 from as she has been working from home."

But they are looking forward to their big day and hoping that all will go smoothly.

Mr Khoo decided to propose after a six-year courtship as they both felt fate had brought them together.

He said: "We get along very well and we could talk about anything."