Photo by Zebra Pares

It's June -- that time of year when weddings seem to occur every weekend. We've seen family members attending distant weddings via Skype before -- but actually getting married over Skype? Recently in Owatonna, Minnesota, USA and Iraq, a bride and groom really did tie the knot over the internet through Skype.

It's a really sweet story -- the couple, Breana Michel and David Luedtke, had first met eight years ago and had been together on and off until 2004. They then rekindled their relationship through Facebook in the past year, shortly before David shipped off to Iraq with the Marines. The couple decided they didn't want to wait until David was back, so after sorting out the paperwork they were married last month at Michel's father's house before a pastor, with Luedtke appearing on screen.

Said Michel: "We viewed it as an opportunity more than anything. We were like, 'Oh my God, we can do it over Skype? Let's do it!' We didn't want to wait. It's been seven years."

Was this the first Skype wedding? Weddings over the internet and by proxy are hardly a new idea. Howard over on the US blog previously noticed this wedding (in Brazil) between two people based in China and France, and another bride in Colorado recently married her fiance while he was abroad serving in Iraq.

I think it's great that Skype could bring so much joy to these couples. Has Skype allowed you to connect with someone in a way you didn't expect? Tell us about it in the comments.