A couple, Ayse (26) and Darrin (24), who have never met in person have gotten married over Zoom with close friends and family in attendance.
The couple started a transatlantic relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic that kept everyone on lockdown in their respective cities.
Ayse initially met her mother-in-law, Kenda, 56, via a Facebook group aimed at pairing up pen pals from around the world. Kenda then introduced her to her son, Darrin.
According to Kenda, Darrin who was based in Detroit, Michigan, US, was in the same age group as Ayse and indicated interest in chatting with someone from the UK.
The duo started off as friends in July 2020, but soon became inseparable and spoke on the phone every night. The five-hour time difference didn’t stop their love and they quickly started dating.
According to reports, Ayse began planning a trip to visit her boyfriend in the States in July but couldn’t because of the travel restrictions. However, they continued their weekly date nights via video calls and would surprise eachother with treats and takeaway food.
In May 2021, Darrin proposed to Ayse and in August, they officially got married via Zoom in a legal ceremony officiated in Utah, US.
Although it’s been months since their wedding and they are still yet to meet physically, the married couple talk over the phone multiple times a day. They are currently waiting for Ayse’s visa application to be accepted.
Ayse, a cleaner, from Lancaster, said:
“I never imagined this would happen to me in a million years.
“I don’t think anyone expected this when we started talking last year.
“But we’re married and it’s all completely legal and official – I still can’t believe it.
“It’s been really hard not being able to meet properly, but in the long run it will make us stronger because we’ve had to go through all of this to be together.
“We just really love each other.”
