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

My future spouse and I had been talking about marriage for months, but with different time zones, planning a traditional wedding felt like more stress than joy. We weren’t even sure when we’d be in the same place long enough to make it official.

One night, while browsing forums, I came across a post about getting married online. At first, I thought it was some kind of scam, check here 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 courthouse visit required. It's fully legal in the U.S..

We decided to go for it. Why wait?

Here’s what the process looked like for us:

• We booked a time with a licensed officiant through an approved platform.
• We uploaded our IDs, completed a few online forms, and got our electronic marriage license approved quickly.
• On our wedding day, we wore something nice for the webcam, sent the Zoom link to our closest loved ones, and said our vows live on camera.

Before we knew it, we were legally joined. We toasted over Zoom, smiled at each other through the screen, and let it all sink in. It was real — 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 an option more people should consider — 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.

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

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