My big fat geek wedding

Confessed geeks Miguel Hanson and Diana Wesley were married last week - by a virtual minister programmed by the groom. — Confessed geeks Miguel Hanson and Diana Wesley were married last week – by a virtual minister programmed by the groom. Image source: David J. Phillip – AP

It was the ultimate geek wedding.

Confessed nerds, Miguel Hanson and Diana Wesley were married last week – by a computer.

The couple, from Texas in the US, stood in front of their virtual minister who married them in a booming computer generated voice – all from within MIguel’s 30-inch monitor .

The minister, dubbed Reverend Bit, featured blue eyes and glasses, and was programmed by the groom after one of the couple’s friends was unable to serve as minister on the day.

“I was like, you know I’m going to write my own minister,” Miguel, 33, told the Associated Press.

The couple think it was a perfect way to take their vows since Miguelm a programmer, and Diana, 33, a sign language teacher, met through the “Sweet on Geeks” website, where single lovers of sci-fi and fantasy congregate.

“That’s kind of our thing,” the groom said. “In fact, my maid of honor, she’s making my cake and she’s making it with Nerds (lollies) as the topping and not icing. That’s kind of the theme, the geeked out wedding.”

The affable virtual minister computer partook in the entire ceremony, even greeting the couple’s 30-or-so guests before launching into a short history of how they met.

He even cracked the odd joke!

“If anyone here has anything to say that might change their minds or has any objections, they do not want to hear it and I will not recognize your objections since Miguel has programmed me to only recognize his commands,” said the virtual minister.

Miguel may have written the clever software, but the couple collaborated on the wording and vows and, during the ceremony, Hanson used a wireless mouse to guide the minister through his digital duties.

While most of us may still prefer a good, old-fashioned, flesh-and-bones minister, Miguel and Diana aren’t the only two geeked-up lovebirds looking at taking weddings high-tech.

Last year in Japan, a couple was wed by a remote-controlled robot.

Unfortunately for Miguel and Diana, computer-officiated ceremonies aren’t legally binding – yet, and the couple will have to have the paperwork signed off on by a human at some stage soon.

“We’re both friends of the computer. So it’s kind of like our best friend is still marrying us,” said an ecstatic Miguel.

“The computer is a huge part of our lives, so why not be a huge part of this?”