They 'met' on the net
It was love at first keystroke...
Now they'll tie the knot
in a computerised
wedding chapel

By DIANE GRABHAM

WELLINGTON computer buff Andrew Hunt and his American sweetheart Lisa Grosso are heading for their Internet keyboard rather than the church aisle and staging what is thought to be the world's first on-screen wedding.
And the hi-tech couple are hoping that guests from all over the world will be logging in to take part in their exciting 'cyber' ceremony.
Andrew, 33, codenamed Cloud Nine, and Lisa, 40, known as Starr, "met" on the Internet - the global computer network - in May and were soon keyed up for a whirlwind screen romance.

Now together in Wellington, they are busy looking into the possibility of creating their own chapel, complete with images of themselves, for their big day.
They will use keyboards to type their wedding responses, with fellow Internetters following the ceremony on their computer screens and joining in as guests on a global scale.
After their initial May link-up, messages quickly flew back and forth across the Atlantic, along with computerised photos of each other.v Even though Lisa, of West Palm Beach, Florida, had already planned a holiday in the UK later this year, Andrew, of Millstream Gardens, Wellington, said he couldn't wait that long and offered to send a ticket if she came over straight away.
Just one week later Lisa flew over for their first face-to-face meeting.
A romantic week in a caravan at Porlock confirmed for them both that this was the real thing.
Then, on July 27, the couple announced their engagement on the Internet where

their own "home page" tells their story, and since then worldwide congratulations have been flooding in.
"You get to know each other really quickly on the Net," explained Andrew, a laboratory supervisor at Relyon.
"It's much better than by post or phone, you get an instant reply and can get much deeper into each other's feelings.
"We met through a real-time chat programme called Internet Relay Chat, where everyone has their own code name - mine is Cloud Nine and Lisa is known as Starr."
"Some people lie so much about themselves on the net, and then can't live up to it," said Lisa, an unemployed interior designer.
"We started off telling each other everything - warts and all!" They both agree that the cost of corresponding in this way is relatively cheap.
After monthly access fees to the net, each contact is the cost of a local phone call, which is even better for Lisa as in the USA local dialling is free.
Now, the couple would welcome any ideas on achieving their cyber wedding and involving the internet community. They have already been offered help by the Taunton Cyber Cafe.
Their World Wide Web address is - http://www.u-net.com/~andyhunt/ or email - andrew@andyhunt.u-net.com.
The real marriage ceremony in November will be a fairly low key occasion, followed by a honeymoon in Florida.
They then plan to settle in Wellington, where they are currently looking for a house.

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