SO you can marry yourself, it emerges.
A woman in Brighton is planning to get hitched to herself next month, replete with 10 bridesmaids, a dog ringbearer, a reception and a honeymoon. No word yet on the hen do but her father, I read, can't wait to give her away.
Sophie Tanner is using her May self-wedding to campaign for a Same Person Marriage Act.
After graduation there are no rights of passage, bar birthdays, for single people. Self-marriage aims to address this. It's also about making a public declaration that you'll look after yourself properly and solve problems created by low self-esteem.
Marriage is something I've never really considered, mainly because I don't like having other people in my house. Self-marriage would circumvent that problem. It wouldn't solve the problem of the self-wedding, however.
One of my main objections to weddings is that they're a bit embarrassing. Imagine having to stand up in public and talk about your feelings. It's bad enough watching people you know do it and then having to make eye contact with them afterwards. But to have to do it myself? Oh, no, thank you.
So, I'm probably not going to write my own vows. And the first dance will have to be well-prepped with gin.
Every woman breathing in the early 2000s remembers Carrie Bradshaw registering herself for a pair of shoes, having totted up how much she's spent on gifts for weddings and baby showers. I've never really understood why you would give someone a present for signing a legal contract with another adult but it appears to be the done thing.
I definitely don't want a gift list for my self-marriage but I do want a self-honeymoon. My guests could pay for that.
According to the website, you can marry yourself any way you like, from a traditional ceremony with a frock and guests to sitting in a dark room with a mirror and a candle. Neither of these takes my fancy. I think I'll need to self-elope.
The guidance states you can still marry another person, even if you're married to yourself. That hardly seems fair though I suppose there's still only two of you in the marriage, even if one of you is married twice.
My problem with self-marriage is that it assumes being married is the more desirable state of being. The only potential upside for marriage is the tax breaks and the opportunity to stop working but not have to claim benefits. Self-marriage does not supply these.
I have a feeling it won't be long until I'm looking for a self-divorce.
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