A couple have become the first in the world to get married over Zoom while in different countries after the Covid-19 crisis separated them for 10 months.
Scott Marmon, 32, from New York, and Augustina Montefiori, 28, from Argentina, have been together since meeting in Denver in May 2017, but have been long distance for the past year after Augustina returned to Buenos Aires.
Scott proposed in January and had been planning to move to Argentina in March before the Covid-19 crisis shut the borders.
The couple were unable to reunite because they weren't a married couple and related so decided to get hitched last week via video call in a 19 hour ceremony.
Scott and Augustina were granted a marriage license to wed online by the state of Utah, before tying the knot 6,000 miles apart in front of a judge in Utah, and their family and friends.
The pair met in Denver, Colorado, in May 2017, while Augustina was on a cultural exchange.
She said: 'A family friend of Scott introduced us, they organized a dinner and that's how we met.'
Augustina went back to her homeland in November last year and then Scott came to visit her in January when he proposed before going back to the States.
She added: 'One day, in a very American style, he took out the rings, knelt down and proposed to me.'
Augustina posted on Facebook in January a photo of her engagement ring and said: 'I said yes. I wish I could write something that can express my happiness right now.
'But all I can say it's that I found my partner in crime, my buddy, my love, my everything in you and that I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy.
'I love you babe. We are getting married.'
Scott was due to jet over again in March so they could live together before the pandemic took hold and flights were grounded.
He said: 'I had a flight date for March 22, but on March 14 all borders were closed due to the pandemic and then we were separated.'
Scott tried to get permission to fly out but was refused ironically because they weren't a married couple and related.
Augustina added: 'They never understood that my boyfriend came to marry and live in this country, that he was not traveling as a tourist.
'Before every question, the answers were always negative and they told us that if we were not married, Scott could not enter the country.'
But they were then granted a marriage licence and were able to get hitched online.
He is now able to apply for a family reunification visa - costing £650 - and then they can then be reunited.
The happy couple tied the knot while being more than 6,000 miles apart in front of a judge in Utah, with the state granting the marriage license to get married online.
Their nuptials were the first bi-national virtual wedding since the coronavirus outbreak.
They held a 19-hour ceremony over Zoom with virtual guests invited on Wednesday.
Augustina wore a traditional, while wedding dress made by local designer Marcela Pandol, while the groom wore a dark suit and an open-necked shirt.
Augustina posted a string of videos of her preparing for the ceremony, getting ready and sharing drinks.
While the bride was joined by her mother, a makeup artist and a hair stylist, Scott celebrated the moment alone.
But many of the couple's friends and family members went on to join them on the Zoom stream during their online event.
The bride also shared clips of the very 2020 wedding on Instagram.
Scott now plans to apply for a family reunification visa so he can move out to Argentina and reunite with his new wife for the first time.
The couple are now planning to throw a second 'proper' wedding n person in May next year.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
