They met through Internet
JAKARTA, Friday (Reuters) - Two Indonesians in their 50s exchanged
wedding vows this week without ever meeting by using the Internet to
make up for the oceans that separate them.
Wiriadi Sutrisno works as a physiotherapist in California, and Rita
Sri Mutiara Dewi is from the Indonesian city of Bandung.
They met through the Internet. Sutrisno proposed that way and finally
they exchanged wedding vows in a ceremony using Voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP) which was supervised by a Muslim religious official, the
Jakarta Post reported on Friday.
"We've exchanged photos, chat almost daily and often call each other,
but we've never met," Dewi was quoted in as saying.
She was introduced to Sutrisno by a friend. After he proposed late
last year, Dewi wondered how they would exchange vows.
In stepped Indonesian telecommunications giant PT Telekomunikasi
Indonesia Tbk, which arranged video screens, speaker phones and a Web
cam.
The 25-minute ceremony cost 200,000 rupiah ($21.30), said Mahmur
Suriadiredja, Telkom's West Java regional director in Bandung, where
Dewi exchanged her vows.
"I think they did it to cut costs. Such technology has made
long-distance marriages possible," Suriadiredja told Reuters.
The happy couple won't have to wait much longer to see each other in
person - Dewi is scheduled to fly to the United States later this month. |