Lebanese seeking civil marriages are getting wed online
Officiants dial in from abroad
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20220910_MAD001.jpg)
Rana fayad and Wassim Abou Zeid had a traditional wedding. She wore a white dress; he wore a tuxedo. They recited their vows outdoors in front of the mountains that rise up behind Beirut, the Lebanese capital. Friends and family gathered beside them. So far, so normal. Except that their officiant joined by video call from the American state of Utah. “Can you both see and hear me?” boomed the voice of Christopher Scuderi, a non-denominational clergyman, from a tablet.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Long-distance marriages”
Middle East & Africa September 10th 2022
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