Nuptials on Internet Time


	Wife in the Fast Lane: Nuptials on Internet Time
	Move over Rick and Varna, you're obsolete. The latest fad: Web Weddings.
	by: Theresa Urist
	They met in a Russian chat room. It wasn't exactly the Russian Tea Room, but it was cozy enough for them to connect. After some online flirting, they exchanged email addresses. Then, a steady stream of sweet messages, back and forth, fanned the flames. For three long months, they transmitted their musings from California to New York and back. Elena and Ivan's virtual courtship began May 16, 1999. After they met online, Elena furtively logged on several times a day to check her mail; Ivan did the same. By July 22, they decided to meet for real. Luckily, even though they could be anybody on the internet, they had opted to be themselves. And they liked what they saw. With that out of the way, it was 'all systems go'. DSL couldn't have done it any faster. By the time the Rockettes were practicing for the Radio City Christmas Show, Elena had relocated to the big apple. "I guess love is blind," she says with a sigh. By June of 2000 he popped the question…to her face. (no Real Time Audio Player needed.) "Life in NY is extremely fast," she admits. Her friends and family have been a bit skeptical. "Is she pregnant?" they wondered. But this is no shotgun wedding; it's a wedding on internet time. And while their relationship, relative to others, may have progressed at bullet-like speed, it fit the bride and groom like an ergonomic mouse. Young and savvy professionals, both know how to harness technology to suit their needs. Ivan works in the high tech industry, which explains why much of his socializing took place in front of a computer. Elena worked for a pharmaceutical company which runs on biotech time, not too much different than internet time. But for them, the timing was just right. She's 27 and he's 26. Each was ripe for long-term commitment in a fast paced short-term world. After establishing their coupledom, they both got sick of flying back and forth. It was expensive and inconvenient. "I was madly in love," she admits. So, she did the opposite of what so many high tech couples do. She bailed on Silicon Valley, leaving her parents and friends in the redwood dust. Ivan and Elena contemplated their wedding options, quickly. Where and how to marry? Both were not religious, unless you count the amount of time they spent in front of the 17 inch altar. She also didn't want a big wedding. "The wedding is for us, not for others," she explains, "I want no people that I don't know." They thought about a civil ceremony, but she didn't want to, "stand at city hall with 200 others." So they turned toward the quickie-wedding hub, Las Vegas. Given their skills set, they had no trouble finding some viable options. Elena simply clicked on Yahoo and did search for "wedding chapels, Las Vegas." She went through four or five, scoping out their websites and looking through their packages. As the ceremony will be interfaith, it was important that the chapel be non-religious. "No Jesus, no bible, no crucifixes," she specified. And then she found it: Little Chapel of the Flowers. "It's a formal chapel, with holiday spirit," she says. The thing that really sealed the choice, however, is that the chapel will broadcast their ceremony on the Internet. While Elena wants only a small number of attendees, this option offers all a portal into their wedding. Viewers at home need only pull up the chapel's website and click on "Live Weddings at Chapel." Instead of invitations, Elena sent out 50 e-mails to her friends with details on when and how to log on. She hopes they will understand. In record time, they hammered out the other details. They decided on the chapel's package number seven, a mid-range option which will run them about $1600. The chapel offers two room choices, both with LiveCam coverage. The "Heritage" is decorated in burgundy and gold and the "Victorian" is fashioned in white. Elena and her betrothed chose the more regal Heritage. Afterward, happy couple will fly by helicopter to the grand canyon, where they'll enjoy a toast. Package number 7 also includes a bouquet of roses, a limo to take them to the heliport, and photos. Other perks abound. "If you pick one of the deluxe packages, you get a free video," she explains. Because they were running a special, she will get two. "Then we'll go back to Caesar's Palace," she said. The bride admits that she's an aficionado of "Roman/Greek History and architecture." After a pause, she added, "…and it's a 5 star hotel. " The whole shebang will take 3 days. As for the planning: "Everything was done in a week," she says. She said yes on a Tuesday. On Friday she bought the dress, booked the hotel, booked her flight, and booked her parents' plane. On Saturday she bought the rings. The following Tuesday, she got a tuxedo, and made a hair and makeup appointment in Vegas. Conveniently, The Little Chapel offered a variety of referrals online. Elena explains that there really will be some traditional elements to her nuptials. She will wear a formal gown. He will wear a tuxedo. Her family will witness it…in person. She registered for gifts at a department store, rather than an e-tailer. In addition, she's decided to send out traditional wedding announcements rather than the electronic version. They will even contain a real photo--not a digital scan--of the newlyweds. But they will also contain some non-traditional text that she found, not surprisingly, "somewhere on the web." The front of the card reads, "The path that leads to happiness is so narrow that two can not walk on it unless they become as one". Apparently, so is the timeframe for making that happen.

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