The groom and bride's best friend reached out to the 'Today' host for help after their April wedding was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Not even the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic can stop couples from declaring their love.
And Hoda Kotb shared in the joy of Arizona-based couple John and Melanie by officiating the pair's Zoom wedding on Thursday's Today.
After Kotb learned that John and Melanie had to cancel their wedding because of the pandemic, she made it possible for them to still celebrate their love over Zoom. Kotb, who is an ordained minister, was contacted by John and Melanie's best friend to have the host officiate the ceremony.
Before the vows, home videos highlighted special moments from the couple's relationship. Kotb explained in a voiceover that they became engaged after dating for three and a half years.
After the couple realized that they had to cancel their wedding originally set for mid-April, the groom reached out to Today to have Kotb surprise Melanie by officiating a surprise virtual ceremony.
Kotb explained that Melanie thought she was only participating in a Zoom call with her best friend. The couple's families and friends then signed on to the call to toast John and Melanie's relationship, while their local pastor also called in to discuss the couple.
After noting that the couple is visibly in love, the pastor said that "something's still missing." Kotb then called in to help officiate the ceremony.
Kotb instructed John to tell Melanie that he will "take you as you are" and for the bride to say that she "will love you and have faith in your love for me."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," said Kotb before the newlyweds kissed.
"It's not really a wedding without a first dance, and I know one of the songs that you love — and I love this song too — is a song called "Yours" by a guy named Russell Dickerson," added Kotb.
Dickerson was soon added into the call and sang the song. Kotb and the couple’s families and friends emotionally watched as they shared their first dance.
"As we struggle to live in a time where connections are forged from afar, on this day the union of one couple brings us all a little closer," Kotb said in a voiceover.
The couple, dressed in a white dress and suit, exited their home the next day to find their family members standing far away from one another while holding signs that congratulated the couple. "I'm just happy my family and friends all could be present and that I got to marry the love of my life," said Melanie.
Watch the full segment below.
