ST. LOUIS, Mich. (AP) - David Eldridge is ready to get married.

There are just a few things standing in the 61-year-old Michigan man's way - such as government red tape, more than 6,500 miles and not being able to have a spoken conversation with his bride-to-be.

The St. Louis resident and Gratiot County commissioner says he met his beloved on an Internet dating site in November 2007.

But 51-year-old LiYing Fan, a martial-arts instructor who lives in Beijing, speaks no English, and Eldridge speaks no Chinese.

They communicate through an online text translator.

Eldridge says she has a very nice voice when they speak on the phone, though understanding what she's saying is an issue.

The couple finally met last year, and they're working on the paperwork now for her to come to the United States and get married.