I Do, I Do, I Flu, I Flu

Swine flu on the day of the wedding? Not a problem for an Illinois couple who tied the knot June 14 in surgical masks and latex gloves while afflicted with the contagious respiratory disease that has wreaked havoc across the globe.

A week before their wedding Ilana Jackson and Jeremy Fierstien, both 26, knew something was up as they battled a burning fever, achy limbs, and vomiting. But swine flu? The thought never seriously crossed their mind.

“We joked about it," Jackson, a graduate psychology student at Roosevelt University, told the Chicago Tribune. "Like, 'wouldn't it be funny if we had swine flu?'”

But it was no joke when their doctor called two days before the wedding and informed them that yes, they tested positive for H1N1. But rather than cancel the day they had planned for so long, the couple decided to move forward, after their doctor assured them they would not put guests at serious risk if they agreed to keep them at least 10 feet away.

To comply, the couple skipped the traditional walk down the aisle, instead opting to walk around their guests. Dancing was also out. And when Jackson’s hairstylist and makeup artist bailed after hearing their news a friend stepped in to help. Their party favors? Hand sanitizers of course.

Now officially hitched, Jackson says they’ve put their alterna-wedding in perspective.

"Was it unfortunate? Yes. Disappointing? Yes. But we've had a really good attitude about it."