WE GOT MARRIED ON ZOOM!

Thousands of miles and a pandemic couldn’t stop Verné Bingham, 39, from saying ‘I do’

- ASHLEIGH PAGE

Scrolling through Facebook, I saw a message from my old friend Chilton and grinned. ‘Hello, it’s been a long time!’

I’d met Chilton through friends in 2002, when I was 20 and living in Durban, South Africa. He’d always been friendly and made me laugh, but we’d lost touch when I moved to the UK in 2005.

Though now, in December 2019, as I replied, I found he was still easy to talk to. But the more we spoke, online and over the phone, the more I realised I liked him as more than a friend.

‘Is it sensible to fall for him, though? We’re so far apart!’ I asked friends.

‘Go for it. Distance shouldn’t stand in the way of love,’ they urged. So two months later, in February 2020, I flew to South Africa. On our first date, Chilton picked me up for dinner. Only, the restaurant had unexpectedly closed down.

‘Let’s go for a drive instead,’ he laughed.

THINGS CLICKED

Joking and telling stories, it was the most fun and romantic date. Only, as we were falling in love, the world was falling apart.