A Brooklyn couple got married on the local news Thursday morning. Via videoconference.
Life in the time of the coronavirus pandemic is all about finding innovative ways to keep on living as normally as possible during quarantine, which is just what bride Julie Raskin and groom Matthew Haicken did with help from local station NY1, even as their August wedding plans were destroyed.
“Mornings on 1” anchor Pat Kiernan officiated the wedding over Zoom, which was held just under two weeks after Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order allowing videoconference weddings in the state. Kiernan is a certified officiant and tweeted April 18, “If your routine as a couple includes spending mornings with NY1 and you’re looking to make it official, let’s try to make it happen.” Kiernan donned a tux for the special event.
The witnesses were co-hosts Jamie Stelter and Annika Pergament, two longtime fixtures on NY1 (where, full disclosure, this author once worked). Pergament heralded the 9 a.m. ET nuptials as “a bright spot” in the pandemic while Stelter gushed about how excited the morning show crew was that the couple “let” them share the special day.
The on-air talents, all broadcasting from their homes around the city, weren’t the only people excited by the wedding.
“I am loving this wedding on @NY1! Thank you for sharing such a happy moment,” NFL.com’s Julie Battista tweeted to the couple. Another NY1 viewer called themselves “the biggest dork” for “already tearing up” before the ceremony. Dozens of comments on the Facebook live feed poured in, too: “Congratulations!” “Mazel tov!”
New York City Council Speaker Cory Johnson tweeted a picture of his television, writing, “Love. We love to see it. We might have to celebrate it a little differently now, but it’s still a beautiful, moving experience. I hope this inspires New Yorkers to take advantage of the city’s new online marriage services! Mazel tov Matthew and Julie!”
In a statement to TheWrap, Stelter — who’s been with the local channel for almost 10 years — reflected on being a part of the wedding: “I’m verklempt. That was exactly what New Yorkers needed right now. Some joy. Some love. Something to celebrate. And it was so quintessentially New York — with their Brooklyn Bridge tiling and Pat Kiernan as the officiant. It’ll go down as one of my favorite mornings on NY1.”
Watch the ceremony below:
https://twitter.com/NY1/status/1255850805271330816