An Australian woman claims that when she said "I do," she had no idea she actually did. A judge granted an annulment after the woman said the groom tricked her into participating in what she believed to be a fake wedding for Instagram views, per the Guardian. But when her partner tried to use the "sham" marriage to gain permanent residency in Australia, she was shocked to learn the ceremony had been very real.
It all began when the pair met on an online dating site in September 2023. They got engaged that December and the man invited her to a "white party" two days later, instructing her to wear a white dress. But when she arrived, she was surprised to find no other guests except her partner, a celebrant, a photographer, and the photographer's friend, according to the BBC. The woman said, "He told me he's organizing a prank wedding for his social media...because he wants to boost his content." She explained that she believed him because he was a "social media person" with 17,000 Instagram followers. Although the bride appeared to be a willing participant in footage of the ceremony, she told the court it was "all an act."
Two months later, and because neither are permanent residents of Australia, the man asked her to add him as a dependent in her application for residency. When she responded that would be impossible because they weren't actually married, the man revealed the ceremony was legit. The woman later found a marriage license the man had signed without her knowledge weeks before they were even engaged. The man claimed both agreed to the marriage, but a judge ruled the woman was "mistaken about the nature of the ceremony performed" and "did not provide real consent." The marriage was annulled in October 2024.
(More
Sham wedding stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
