Whitney Dobson and Kevin Hart embrace each other, technology

It only seemed fitting that a couple who met online and blogged about their budding romance and eventual engagement would complete the circle by broadcasting their wedding ceremony with live streaming video via the Internet. It all started in February 2009 when Whitney Dobson, a 2006 Mead High School graduate, was living in Seattle and working for Alaska Airlines. Some of her friends were meeting other singles through online dating web sites with varying degrees of success. With some encouragement from her friends easing her trepidation, she signed up for plentyoffish.com. As Whitney shared in her story about meeting Kevin, “I was talking to some of my co-workers, and they mentioned how they had been on a couple of dates thanks to Plenty of Fish. This was way out of my character, but honestly where else would I meet a guy? Walking though the grocery store? Highly unlikely since I tended to do my weekly shopping around midnight sporting flannel pajamas.” In another part of Seattle, Kevin Hart, a 2006 University High School graduate and 2010 DigiPen graduate, was coming to some realizations of his own. “After a while of being single, I realized two things. One, in my field of work I don’t really meet women, and the few that I do aren’t the sort that I was looking for. Two, even if I had met the right type, I have about as much game as a pile of dirt. I realized that like all great achievers in America I needed to outsource!” Looking for the lowest-cost online dating service, he signed up for plentyoffish.com because it was free. Kevin set up a system of “red flags” to help him screen people to determine the quality of a candidate – a system that he still uses to help his single friends. Using his system, he found Whitney’s profile, confirmed his choice with his best friend, so that he wasn’t fooling himself, and sent her an email. Whitney received Kevin email and was stunned. He was so forthright. He was so cute! Most importantly, he shared some very important values with her including religious faith and a desire for marriage and family. After a week of back-and-forth email exchanges, the couple set a date and met for the first time. It was love at first sight. At the end of evening of that first meeting, they sent each other text messages confirming that they had a good thing going. In March 2010, Kevin proposed. Whitney accepted. The plans were made. The couple would return to Spokane, their hometown, for their wedding ceremony. It had been Whitney’s childhood dream to get married at her parents’ home north of Spokane near Chattaroy. But getting married back home in Spokane meant that some friends and family who lived out of town wouldn’t be able to attend in person. No problem. They would broadcast the ceremony live on the Internet. Thanks to WebShareLive.com, a Spokane-based company, the nuptials were seen around the world via a dedicated Internet channel. According to Kevin Wakefield of WebShareLive.com broadcasting weddings is fast becoming a new wedding trend. “Family members and members who can’t attend the wedding in person for whatever reason, be it financial, health, or conflicting plans, can still participate in the wedding virtually. We provide a live broadcast of the wedding on the couple’s private channel. The broadcast is available for a playback for as long as the couple makes it available on the web site,” said Wakefield. On Aug. 11 they were married in the pasture of Whitney’s parents’ home, in Chattaroy. The Rev. Branden Campbell, pastor of Roblling Hills Community Church in Tualtain, Ore., a friend of the couple, officiated. In addition to the online audience, well over 250 friends and family attended the wedding that summer evening as the sunset through the pine trees. The guests enjoyed an Italian feast catered by Shirley Williams of Charley’s Catering. In lieu of the traditional wedding cake, charming cupcakes decorated with hearts in a symbolic gesture to the couple’s name, Hart, were served for dessert. The bride wore a classic A-line, off-the-shoulder gown with vintage lace on the top. Purchased at the first store she visited, Blue Sky Bridal in Seattle, a consignment shop, she landed the perfect dress. And by buying from a consignment shop, she saved about two-thirds of the cost of the full retail price. When it came to finding a wedding photographer, Whitney and Kevin didn’t have to look far. They called Bryan Aulick, who had done the photography for Whitney’s brother’s wedding just a year earlier. Bryan’s work can be seen at bryanaulick.com. Traditionally, couples are given gifts for their weddings, which was certainly true at this wedding. But was the biggest surprise, was that Whitney and Kevein gave gifts in honor of their guests: donations to the Union Gospel Mission’s Anna Ogden Hall and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Whitney’s mother said that the couple was carrying out a tradition that the Dobson family had of giving to charities. Instead of giving each other gifts, the family makes donations in each other’s names. The couple wanted to start their marriage in this same spirit. After a honeymoon to Depoe Bay on the Oregon Coast to enjoy whale watching, the couple will reside in Burien, Wash. Whitney is a student at Bellevue College to become a special education teacher. Kevin is a special effects artist for Zombies Studios, a video game company.