I never pictured myself getting married without being in the same room. But here we are — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My fiancé and I had been talking about marriage for some time, but with living in different states, planning a traditional wedding felt impossible. 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 legal Zoom ceremonies. At first, I thought it was a joke, 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 — even if you're in different countries. 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 official virtual marriage site.
• We uploaded our IDs, completed a few online forms, and got our electronic marriage license without hassle.
• 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 Zoom, 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 looking for a way to get married without the drama, I highly recommend looking into online marriage. It's an option more people should consider — especially if you're in the military.

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

Modern love looks different, and honestly? That’s kind of amazing.

No matter the distance, you can make it official — and make it yours.