Weddings occupy far too prominent a place in American culture, with some couples going so far as to take on massive debt to finance excessively lavish celebrations that they can’t really afford. In the era of COVID, however, weddings have the potential to kill more than just your credit score. It’s unfortunate, but as with so many things in the past year, the responsible thing to do in a pandemic is to cancel gatherings.

Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to do that. It’s been nearly a month since I read this article on weddings in Texas during COVID-19, but I can’t get it out of my mind. It begins with a bridesmaid telling a wedding photographer that the groom had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The woman thanked [the photographer] for still showing up, considering “everything that’s going on with the groom.”…“So I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ And she was like, ‘Oh, no, no, no, don’t freak out. He doesn’t have symptoms. He’s fine.’ ”

No! That is not how this works.

She recalls one bridesmaid telling her, “I’m a teacher. I have fourteen students. If I’m willing to risk it, why aren’t you?”

No! What?! One fears this selfish person teachers her students that if all their friends jump off a cliff, they ought to as well.

[The photographer] recalled one conversation from that wedding, before she left the reception. “I have children,” she told a bridesmaid. “What if my children die?” The bridesmaid responded, “I understand, but this is her wedding day.”

No!

Stay home. Wash your hands. Wear a mask.