My boyfriend couldn't get leave from the Army for our wedding. We decided to get married with a virtual ceremony.
Courtesy of VirtualMarriage
- Marissa Radford lived nearly 3,000 miles away from her fiancé, Damien Lamonda.
- He was in the Army and was unable to get leave for their wedding.
- The pair got legally married in an online ceremony witnessed by their friends.
This interview is based on a conversation with Marissa Radford, 22, an admissions representative at a trade school in Modesto, California. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I've always been somewhat of a risk taker, so my friends didn't think it was that unusual for me to have a whirlwind romance.
I knew I wanted to marry my boyfriend, Damien, 23, almost as soon as we started dating. And, just seven months into our relationship, we exchanged vows in a very unconventional way.
We like to call it a "virtual elopement." Not only did we do it on the spur of the moment, but it also took place online.
We were a grade apart in high school
Damien and I officially "met" through mutual friends at a country music concert in May of 2022. However, we went to the same school in Modesto, California, without really knowing each other.
It turned out we even took the same bus when I was a junior, and he was a senior. We only made the connection after we got talking at the event.
It was funny because Damien said he'd admired me from afar, but had never felt able to approach me.
Courtesy of VirtualMarriage
He was in the Army when we began our relationship, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, about 2,800 miles from Modesto and a 40-hour drive door-to-door.
But we kept things going through constant texting and video calling. Unfortunately, Damien didn't get much leave, so we didn't spend much time together face-to-face.
Then, in January 2023, we began seriously discussing our future. We knew we wanted to live together and get married. Why wait?
Damien wasn't due for leave anytime soon, so I researched our options online. I found Virtual Marriage, a company that conducts 100% legal marriages online. They're recognized in all 50 states.
My fiancé wore his dress uniform for the wedding
The service is popular with military families and other couples in long-distance relationships, and it made perfect sense for us.
We booked the ceremony for February 14, 2023, because it was such a romantic way to celebrate Valentine's Day. We invited a small number of friends who joined the call.
Damien looked handsome in his dress uniform, and I wore a white top to fit the occasion. I held a bouquet of flowers.
Courtesy of Marissa Radford
The whole thing was quirky, fun, and felt like a proper elopement. We exchanged vows, and the officiant pronounced us man and wife.
Afterward, we blew kisses at each other and put on our rings on the count of three.
I moved to Fort Bragg two months later, driving across the country with my stuff in a U-Haul truck. We rented a house near the barracks.
We're planning to renew our vows
Our daughter, Acelynn, was born in September 2024, and Damien left the Army when his four-year contract ended that Christmas. We've since moved back to Modesto, where Damien now works for an HVAC company.
We're planning a vow renewal and throwing a big party to celebrate, probably on our fifth wedding anniversary. In the meantime, it'll be great to share our unconventional wedding video with Acelynn.