Got to love Skype?!

Aussie stranded by ash marries via Skype
LOUISA HEARN
April 20, 2010 - 12:44PM



Technology has saved a Australian-British couple's wedding after they were stranded in Dubai by the volcanic ash cloud disrupting flights in and out of Europe.

Relatives and friends watched Sean Murtagh, 24, from west London, and Natalie Mead, a 30-year-old Australian, take their vows on a laptop fitted with a webcam which was broadcast via Skype to assembled family and friends in Britain.

The groom borrowed his smart shirt and trousers while the bride wore a dress she had in her luggage and the airport hotel donated flowers, balloons and a wedding cake as other stranded passengers joined in on the celebration.

"They have decorated the lobby of the hotel. They made us a three-tier wedding cake, set up a laptop with Skype and a projector," Sean Murtagh said.

"It's spellbinding the amount they have done for us.

"It's been an incredible day. We were never going to forget it anyway but we certainly won't forget it now."

Although the couple were recently married at a civil wedding in Brisbane, they had also planned a ceremony for family and friends in Ealing, west London.

Natalie Mead told Gulf News: "Passengers stranded in the hotel were getting excited for the first time in days when they heard about our wedding; some even helped me with my hair and make-up. It was also great to see everyone in the UK on our wedding day, even if it was via webcam.

"It has been an amazing day and we are just so grateful for everything that everyone has done for us. It is definitely a story to tell the grandchildren. There was no way we were going to let this volcano stop us [from] getting married."

Caroline Black, a celebrant who conducted the online ceremony from London, said: "It was just like any other wedding except the bride and groom weren't there."

"We have seen an increase in the past few days in terms of video-calling because of the [flight disruption] situation," a Skype spokesman told AFP.

"I've heard of executives stuck in the US on the way back to London running their companies via Skype."

Cisco said that the disruption of flights in Europe due to a dangerous layer of ash spewed into the sky by a volcano in Iceland had led to a surge in interest in its "telepresence" technology for online meetings.

"We have seen a huge spike in usage," said Fredrik Halvorsen, newly minted vice-president of Cisco's telepresence technology group.

"We have had all our demo centres and all our video rooms across the world populated by everything from big corporate clients to [small- or medium-size businesses] to government ministries."

- with AFP

Source: smh.com.au