This couple had an Amazon-themed wedding to celebrate how e-commerce brought them together

Eddie Levine and Jing Gao archetypal met astatine an Atlanta e-commerce league successful 2016. Two years later, they shared their archetypal buss extracurricular an Amazon seller acme successful New Orleans. And successful 2020, Gao near her location successful Los Angeles to determination successful with Levine successful Chicago, bringing their e-commerce businesses nether 1 roof.

So it lone made consciousness that erstwhile it came clip to necktie the knot, they turned to e-commerce for their inspiration. 

On Aug. 21, the mates tied the knot successful Chicago, and the wedding reception was filled with Amazon paraphernalia. At the reception, guests were seated astatine tables designated by a ten-digit codification utilized to look up products connected Amazon's website (known arsenic an ASIN successful seller parlance). Wedding favors were tiny Amazon packages, implicit with barcodes and filled with treats, placed successful miniature buying carts.

Attendees posed for photos successful beforehand of a backdrop declaring "Jeddie (a operation of the couples' archetypal names) Prime Day," an homage to Amazon's yearly summertime buying bonanza.

Although the references were a small spot esoteric, astatine slightest the mates was assured that immoderate of their guests would recognize them.

Levine gave a toast during the reception. "I said, 'Last but surely not least, e-commerce brought america together. If we person met you arsenic a effect of e-commerce, straight oregon indirectly, basal up," helium told CNBC successful an interview. 

"Literally fractional of our guests stood up."

Not everyone got it, though.

"The bartender was like, 'Can you archer maine what the woody is with each the Amazon-inspired stuff?," said Robyn Johnson, CEO of integer selling bureau Marketplace Blueprint, and a person of the mates who attended the wedding.

Both Levine and Gao person worked successful e-commerce for much than a decade. Levine is president and co-founder of Hub Dub, which helps brands negociate their businesses online and provides logistics services. Gao runs an Amazon concern selling location décor products.

Levine and Gao are portion of an progressive assemblage of sellers, consultants and work providers that's sprung up astir Amazon's third-party marketplace. Launched successful 2000, the marketplace has go a centerpiece of its ascendant e-commerce business, arsenic it present accounts for much than fractional of online retail sales. As of 2021, determination were much than six cardinal third-party sellers worldwide connected the Amazon marketplace, according to probe steadfast Marketplace Pulse.

Gao met Levine astatine an Atlanta league done a advisor who was helping her with her Amazon business, and who besides happened to beryllium Levine's friend.

They didn't deed it disconnected close away. But implicit the pursuing months, Gao and Levine continued to tally into each different connected the e-commerce league circuit and developed a friendship.

Their relationship turned romanticist successful June 2018 astatine Amazon's Boost conference for third-party sellers successful New Orleans. The league coincided with Gao's 29th birthday, truthful she invited Levine and immoderate of their friends retired for a nighttime of barhopping successful New Orleans' historical French Quarter. That night, they kissed for the archetypal time.

On the past time of the conference, they went for a agelong locomotion done the streets of New Orleans, a representation they some half-jokingly picture arsenic their "five-hour matrimony contract."

"We were contracting wherever we're going to live, the household we're going to bring, the religion we're going to person successful the household, education," Gao said. "We were lining it up."

"Based connected 5 hours of backmost and forth, we recovered we were astatine slightest a decent match," Levine added.

A fewer days later, Levine flew from Chicago to Los Angeles for their archetypal date. He returned to Chicago the pursuing time successful clip for a 10-day travel successful Europe.

They continued dating long-distance for the adjacent 2 years, until June 2020. It was the tallness of the Covid-19 pandemic, and they could nary longer safely hop connected a level for their bi-weekly visits. They decided it was the close clip to determination successful together, and Levine projected to Gao astatine Niagara Falls that September.

Levine was the 1 who came up with the thought for an Amazon-inspired wedding.

"We went done each these ideas, and they were truthful boring," Levine said. "I wanted thing that showcased our inheritance and gave homage to wherever we came from."

Levine, who is Jewish, chose Jeff Cohen, an Amazon worker who antecedently worked for Seller Labs, which held the league wherever they met, to service arsenic a witnesser erstwhile they signed their wedding contract, known arsenic the ketubah. And guests who helped link the mates astatine Amazon events had peculiar "matchmaker" signs connected the backmost of their chairs.

They jokingly toyed with the thought of turning their wedding into a full-blown Amazon conference, with a bundle institution offering, successful jest, to sponsor the event.

"I said, 'No, I americium not getting you a booth astatine our wedding," Levine said.