In a tiny beige room of a Utah-based office building, five days a week, couples are granted a golden opportunity – a chance to reunite after months, or even year-long separation due to travel restrictions during the lockdown. And get this: they don’t even have to be in the room for this unification.
Virtual Weddings Are All the Hype
May 2020 marked the month when global businesses, offices, and markets were forced to pull down their shutters until the looming threat of a deadly virus would subside. As a result, more than 3,500 international couples discovered a county clerk and auditor’s office in Provo, Utah, that could make their wedding dreams come true even during times of extreme social restrictions.
Burt Harvey, the man responsible for granting marriage licenses in the office, states that the establishment had no intentions of becoming recognized as an international marriage venue. But, when the opportunity came knocking, they happily went all in.
What a Virtual Wedding Looks Like
In early August, Lucas Steyer and Jessica Alexander met with the county clerk’s office representative through a virtual platform to discuss their wedding ceremony – the former is from Burgstädt, Germany, and the latter from Jupiter, Florida. Ms. Alexandar is a Zillow sales executive whose daughters are huge fans of Mr. Steyer, a social media influencer popularly known as Gaming Grizzly. Even though they’ve never met in person, the couple hit it off virtually, and are now ready to tie the knot.
The ceremony commenced with a speech by the officiant, Ben Frei, who spoke about the importance of cleaving together, of love languages, and of date nights. Following that, Mr. Steyer and Ms. Alexander exchanged vows and slipped a ring on their finger.
Love Knows No Bounds
Apart from testifying their love for each other in front of friends and family, the obvious incentive to marry in this manner is bypassing travel restrictions. With a certificate, even borders close to visitors will allow partners to apply for permanent visas.