It was August of 2011 that CatholicMatch was pleased to report the engagement of Santiago & Ava, a couple who worked through a long-distance relationship going from Utah to South Africa. CatholicMatch is now even more pleased to report that Santiago and Ava are married, a wedding that was the wonderful fruit of modern technology.
Skype was instrumental to Santiago & Ava's courtship and the video technology bridged the gap between the families at the wedding.
Skype was essential to Santiago and Ava's courtship from the beginning. As one can imagine, the chances for face-to-face dates were limited, with he living in Utah and she in Cape Town. "Skype was an integral part of our relationship," Santiago reaffirmed to CatholicMatch upon relating the member story. "It allowed us to 'spend time together' for our courtship."
After the engagement, a stressful period of time followed for the couple. Ava was able to finally relocate to the United States a month prior to the wedding. Even better, her brother is a priest and he traveled across the Atlantic to perform the wedding ceremony for his sister and her new love.
Both Santiago and Ava have gone through hardship in their searches for the one to spend their lives with. His first marriage was annulled by the Church. Ava has a daughter from a previous relationship, and she had to bring her child up by herself.
Today though, they are happily married. Neither one envisioned themselves going across the ocean to find their true love.
Technology has opened up a whole new world in dating possibilities, and it also helped bring two families closer—Ava's family couldn't all make the trip to Utah, but they were able to be present at the wedding thanks to Skype.
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