I never pictured myself getting married via Zoom. But life has a funny way of working out.

My fiancé and I had been talking about marriage for a while, but with living in different states, planning a traditional wedding felt overwhelming. We weren’t even sure when we’d be in the same place long enough to make it official.

One night, while falling into an internet rabbit hole, I came across a post about legal Zoom ceremonies. At first, I thought it was some kind of scam, 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 courthouse visit required. 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 scheduled 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 kept it casual but meaningful, sent the Zoom link to our closest friends and family, and said our vows live on camera.

In less than 20 minutes, we were legally joined. We toasted over FaceTime, 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 authentic 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 website decent Wi-Fi signal, and a little bit of paperwork.

Marriage is evolving, and honestly? That’s kind of amazing.

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