I never pictured myself getting married online. But sometimes things happen 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 getting married online. 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 legally marry completely online — no need to be in the same location. It's recognized in all 50 states.

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 online marriage service.
• We uploaded our IDs, completed a few online forms, and got our virtual marriage license without hassle.
• On our wedding day, we kept it casual but meaningful, sent the Zoom link to our closest friends and family, 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 beautiful — 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 fully legitimate — especially if you're working with immigration timelines.

You don’t have to wait for deployment marriage 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.