CONYERS, Ga. - Latisha Nash went from tears to cheers in a matter of hours on April 16. She and her groom, Victor, arrived at the Rockdale County Courthouse under the impression they would have a wedding ceremony immediately after she picked up her curbside marriage license.
"Here I am in my white dress and my birdcage veil and they told me it wasn't happening today, and I was like, 'but I'm ready to do it today.' When they said that couldn't happen it was devastated," Mrs. Nash told FOX 5's Portia Bruner by phone.
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The Conyers health care worker wasn't aware the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the court's wedding procedures and she was determined to marry the kidney transplant patient who used to get treatments at the dialysis center where she worked.
“I am pouting and crying, and he was trying to tell me everything would be okay. I googled 'I want to get married today' and WebWed Mobile popped up so I sent an email and got a response right away," said Nash.
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Virtual wedding
A Georgia company is helping couple get married through an app
JC Banks of Atlanta is the co-founder of WebWed Mobile. The lawyer and ordained minister saw the bride's desperate email and immediately pulled together and impromptu wedding ceremony together with her husband and business partner, Randy.
“We make sure the couples have a full wedding experience that friends and loved ones can witness. We record it and want it to be a special moment and it only takes about ten minutes after the legal affairs are in order," Mrs. Banks said.
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Just a couple of hours after that teary-eyed trip to the courthouse, Victor and Latisha exchanged vows, kisses and cheers.
The Banks have orchestrated or officiated more than 450 weddings since the COVID-19 pandemic with the WebWed Mobile app they created in 2015 to help military and other couples exchange vows in different corners of the world. They took coding classes at Georgia Tech to learn how to develop the secure app and performed their first virtual wedding on February 16, 2016.
"A lot of couples feel like they have to postpone or cancel their wedding ceremonies, so it's nice to be able to help them make their dreams come true. We end up doing several weddings a day," said Mr. Banks by phone.
Packages range from $400 to $900 based on the legal and technical services the couple must perform before and during the ceremony.
"It's a blessing and it makes me proud to be an American. This is what we're all about--helping each other in times of need." said Mrs.Banks.
The newly minted Mrs. Victor Nash says she hopes other couples hoping to get married will learn a valuable lesson from her experience.
"Don't put too much into the big production of a wedding. As long as you have the one you love, it can happen," said Nash with a smile on her face.
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