POCATELLO, Idaho- Idaho State women's volleyball sisters Aubrie (Fuller) and Raegan (Kunz) Steiner made the best of their quarantine weddings in a double-zoom celebration on April 24.

Aubrie met her husband Tim on Instagram in July of 2019. After returning home in June from her LDS Church mission in Tempe, Ariz., her younger sister Raegan posted a picture on the social media app to celebrate her arrival.

Tim, who saw the post, promptly followed Aubrie and messaged her.

After messaging back and forth, Tim made a drive up from Ogden, Utah, where he plays basketball at Weber State, to take Aubrie out for their first date.

"We had camps over the summer in July so I was in Pocatello and one night he drove up and we got ice cream and hiked up to the pillars," Aubrie said. "That was our first date."

After a successful first date, Aubrie went back home to Montana while Tim was traveling, forcing the couple to go a few weeks without seeing each other. It wasn't until August when the pair began making weekend visits a normal occasion. Once both of their seasons began to start, the two went back to the secret of successful long-distance relationships: FaceTime.

"We FaceTimed a lot," Aubrie giggled. "It's a little tough during the season to see each other."

After proposing on January 21, the two planned to have a wedding celebration in the LDS temple in Tim's hometown of Gilbert, Ariz. at the end of May.

In the beginning of April as the churches began to close due to COVID-19 concerns, the pair had to make a decision. The couple was already in Arizona to visit Tim's family after the coronavirus turned the rest of the spring semester to distance learning.

"We decided about half way through April that we should just get married," Steiner said. "It didn't look like things were going to work out the way we had it planned."

With the quarantine going on and her sister Raegan just so happening to be engaged as well, the two sisters were left with a very rare opportunity to not only do a double wedding, but to have a double zoom wedding.

"We just decided we should make the most of the situation and make a good memory," Aubrie said. "It was kind of funny because we joked our whole lives about having a double wedding and Raegan was always the one to say no and it was basically her idea to do it all on the same day."

Aubrie and Tim went first as Raegan attended over zoom. Tim's family was there for the intimate celebration while the Steiner family including her parents, siblings, and grandparents were able to join in on the celebrations over zoom as well.

Despite a quick change of plans and a little disappointment, Aubrie really enjoyed how the wedding turned out.

"It would have been nice to have everything like we planned but I think it turned out great," Aubrie said. "It was really nice."

Luckily the couple will spend the first few months of their marriage together before school and sports will once again keep them apart for a few more weeks.

"It will be interesting for a little bit because we are still at different schools so we will probably have to do long distance again for a few months during the season," Aubrie said. "I'll probably live with Raegan and Kaden in Pocatello while making the best of it over FaceTime and weekend visits. It will be great."

Tim joined the Weber State basketball team after serving a two-year LDS Church mission to Santa Ana, El Salvador from 2016-18. The redshirt sophomore is currently majoring in accounting at WSU. 

     

Raegan met her husband Kaden in November of 2020 after they exchanged a glance at a volleyball game.

"He came to some volleyball games this season," Raegan said. "And I never noticed him because I don't look in the stands but one day I just happened to look and I saw him and I thought he was cute. He messaged me that night on Instagram."

That night was Nov. 2. Two days later the couple met in person, leading to their first date on Nov. 6. Two and a half months later, Kaden popped the question.

Their original plan was to get married on June 12 but after the coronavirus closed the churches and with an older sister engaged, Raegan came up with a new idea that would make an exceptional memory.

"Initially we were thinking that we would just wait it out," Raegan said. "I had always told Aubrie ever since she got back from her mission that I will never have a double wedding. With everything going on, we [Aubrie] talked about if we should get married early and we were both so stressed about deciding what to do. Then I suggested a double zoom wedding because I knew our parents wouldn't be able to be there earlier."

After a few conversations about how each of them would handle their wedding plans, the sisters came to a conclusion and talked it over with their parents. After hearing a little hesitation in their voice, they decided to wait. With too much excitement still built up, the two once again talked to their parents and were able to get them on board, excited even.

"After we talked to them again they were excited and down for it. A double zoom wedding will be a really great memory," Steiner said.

Just after she watched Aubrie and Tim get married, Raegan turned around and read her vows to Kaden on April 24, in Preston, Idaho. Kaden's immediate family was in attendance with her family, of course, supporting from zoom.

Although Raegan had a wonderful time at the wedding, she looks forward to being sealed in the Temple later this year with a real celebration with friends and family.

Raegan recognizes the importance of appreciation and communication in a relationship, especially with the busy schedule of a student-athlete.

"It will be good and fun," Raegan said. "We just need to spend as much time as we can together and make sure we're focusing on each other during those times."

Kaden is majoring in biomedical sciences at Idaho State and is a huge ISU women's volleyball fan.