Are you itching to get married but your bride or groom is on another physical location? Or do you want to take advantage of the same-sex marriage law of a certain state without having to be physically there? Your wish may one day come true, as two Michigan State University law professors, Mae Kuykendall and Adam Candeub, proposed the E-Marriage Project, which was published in the Journal of Law Reform.

The said project allows same-sex partners, old and sick couples, and those deployed to get married online using instant messengers like Skype, Gtalk or Yahoo Messengers.

“Even though this sounds like a really novel proposal, it’s not: Law has always been something you can sell across jurisdictions,” said Kuykendall.

“So we think people are just being literal in this assumption that you have to be physically present in a state to consume its marriage law.”

Kuykendall and Candeub argue that advancements in technology now allows this to happen via video conferencing.

Same-sex couples will greatly benefit from this proposal as they won’t have to go to any of the six states that have legalized same-sex marriage.

While all couples could benefit from e-marriage convenience, it’s especially beneficial for same-sex couples, Kuykendall and Candeub write. For example, Vermont is one of six states that authorize same-sex marriage. So a couple living in Louisiana could celebrate a wedding on their home soil, surrounded by family and friends, under Vermont law with a Vermont marriage license.

If this E-Marriage Project gets a green light, we can only imagine the impact this could have on culture, as well as legalities around digital representation. Skype, which recently finalized its acquisition deal with Microsoft worth $8.5 billion, will surely be one of the top picks for digital ceremonies.  Technology and culture are undoubtedly connected, as we’ve seen with couples updating their Facebook statuses in the midst of exchanging vows at the altar.

We typically see VoIP services applied to cultural shifts in the office, enabling mobile workers to do more while away from their cubicles.  But marriage?  It’s an off-topic for most VoIP discussions, but a pertinent one nonetheless.  From digital signatures to real-time video conferencing, web tools have diminished the needs around tangible physicality to open up opportunities in a whole new realm.