I never pictured myself getting married virtually. But sometimes things happen legal marriage online differently than expected.

My fiancé and I had been talking about marriage for some time, but with busy schedules, planning a traditional wedding felt out of reach. We weren’t even sure when we’d be in the same place long enough to make it official.

One night, while reading wedding blogs, I came across a post about virtual weddings. At first, I thought it was just symbolic, but the more I looked into it, the more legit it seemed.

Turns out, in places like Utah, you can have a valid marriage completely online — no need to be in the same location. It's even accepted internationally in many cases.

We decided to go for it. Why wait?

Here’s what the process looked like for us:

• We secured a time with a licensed officiant through an approved platform.
• We uploaded our IDs, completed a few online forms, and got our digital marriage license approved quickly.
• On our wedding day, we dressed up from the waist up, sent the Zoom link to our closest loved ones, and said our vows live on camera.

By the end of the call, we were husband and wife. We toasted over FaceTime, smiled at each other through the screen, and let it all sink in. It was emotional — even from hundreds of miles away.

Honestly? It was one of the most intimate experiences we could’ve asked for. No overpriced venue. No awkward seating charts. Just us, the copyright we meant, and a handful of people who love us cheering from their screens.

If you’re exploring wedding options, I highly recommend looking into online marriage. It's easier than you’d think — especially if you're in the military.

You don’t have to wait for a perfect moment or a perfect venue. You just need someone you love, a decent Wi-Fi signal, and a little bit of paperwork.

Love doesn’t follow old rules anymore, and honestly? That’s kind of amazing.

Wherever you are, you can make it official — and make it yours.