Guests of honour

The cardboard 'guests' that attended the wedding ceremony

A couple from Michigan that married on Saturday have had to add some last-minute guests to their wedding ceremony. Many of Dan Stuglik and Amy Simonson's 160 guests were unable to attend their wedding because they were practicing social distancing following the restrictions on large gatherings due to the Coronavirus. Stuglik came up with a novel idea to fill the empty seats for when his wife walked down the aisle.

Dan Stuglik and Amy Simonson had been planning the wedding, scheduled for March 31, months before the Corona outbreak. Pic/Dan Stuglik, Faceboo

Most of the guests who attended their ceremony were close family and friends, but the rest were cardboard cutouts. "I didn't like the idea of Amy having to walk down the aisle with no one in the pews. That seemed like a very lonely walk, so I wanted something to represent the guests," said the groom to WSBT-TV. He went to Menasha Packaging to find out if they could meet his needs. They exceeded his expectations. "I went to just buy a few sheets of cardboard and they went in and brought a designer and made some," he added. Some cutouts were even customised based on gender. "We know that they're still there in spirit even if they could not attend," he said.

160
No. of guests that were to attend the ceremony

Is he the hottest doctor alive?

An online petition wants People magazine to give Dr Anothy Fauci, a member of Trump's task force on COVID-19, the 'sexy' title

Dr Anthony Fauci. Pic/Facebook

In the face of Donald Trump's fear mongering and incoherent ramblings about the Coronavirus, the American masses seem to prefer Dr Anthony Fauci's calm and knowledgeable attitude. Dr Fauci, 79, is an expert on infectious diseases and a member of President Trump's Coronavirus task force. An online petition on change.org is making the rounds and calling for the public health expert to be named as People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive for 2020. The online petition reads: "His comforting and intelligent demeanour has helped to lessen our national anxiety. He speaks truth to power, a strength few have at this time. His kind face and manner of speaking bring calm during the storm. He is the definitive Sexiest Man Alive in 2020."

Lady who lives with snails

Pic/@crazy.snail.lady1

Pepper Apollo, 40, has earned herself a fan following online, after she developed a bizarre fascination for snails. She is a self-proclaimed "crazy snail lady" who currently looks after 150 of them. She keeps the snails safe in terrariums and prepares delicious meals for them daily.

A dog-love-dog world

If you think dogs are friendly, then wait till you hear about Ruby. The German shorthaired pointer loves to pet other dogs in her day care. An adorable video shared by her owner titled 'Ruby always trying to make friends!' has raked in more than 75 lakh views on TikTok. Pic/@dog_rates, Twitter

Married woman picks video-game romance

UK national Kelly Sexton, 37, ended her unhappy marriage in real life to pursue a fairytale romance in a multi-player online video game. Sexton eventually married Nick Von Asten, an American man who was controlling the virtual avatar she was flirting with. Pic/@Kelly Von Asten, Facebook

Man plays dead to evade lockdown

Hakim Din, 70, wanted to get to his village in Kashmir, from Jammu. But he couldn't, owing to the national lockdown. When an ambulance driver suggested that he play dead to get past checkpoints, he agreed. They were caught by an alert cop at a checkpoint.

Boy gets 'humiliating' haircut for lockdown

A Filipino father deliberately gave his young boy an embarrassing haircut so he won't sneak out of the house during the Coronavirus lockdown. His son refused to stay at home, prompting him to take a razor and give his son a balding appearance.

Stone age

Japanese artist, Akie Nakata, has been giving life to rocks by painting realistic-looking animals on them. She uses only acrylic gouache - no pen - and works with tiny brushes. She also prefers the natural shapes of each stone for her creation. Her talent has garnered her a huge following on social media. Pics/Stone Artist Akie, Facebook

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever