Sometimes people do strange things, and when that happens, the government is usually more than happy to offer its opinions and rules on the situation whether the public wants it to or not. That being said, here are some of the more insane marriage and divorce laws from around the world.
Sweden
In the off chance that a prince or princess of Sweden is reading this: Your Highness, have we got your back! Before you tie the knot–with anyone, not just us lowly common folk–you better get the government’s permission first. Any prince or princess who doesn’t get the government’s permission to marry, forfeits their rights to the throne, as do all their descendents.
France
Although Paris may have a reputation for being the City of Love, France itself is the Country of Unholy and Horrifying “Love”. By law, you can marry someone who has died. Read that again. Yes, you can marry a dead person in France. Aside from a Zombie Apocalypse, we wonder how one would file for divorce after marrying a dead person, but the bigger question is, “Oh dear God, why?!” Granted, in order to marry a dead person, you must have already begun the process of getting married before the person passed away. Oh France, will you and your creepy and disturbed sense of romanticism ever learn?
Alabama
In an unsurprising revelation, “keeping it in the family” is, legally speaking, totally okay in Alabama law. Although it paves the way for some really awkward family reunions (both before a marriage and after a divorce, we suppose), it is nice to see that there is still a state protecting a person’s right to risk horrific genetic abnormalities of their children in the name of love. Or would it be nieces and nephews? See, Alabama? This whole thing just gets way too confusing.
Arkansas
Well, wouldn’t you know it? Arkansas decided to live up to its stereotype as well. Apparently, beating your wife in Arkansas is legal, provided you don’t do it more than once a month. We’re pretty sure that’s little consolation to the wives being beaten, but hey, next month, they’ll get theirs! Whether “The South will rise again!” was in reference to a resurgence of the Confederacy or a raising of a hand against a wife, Arkansas, just cool it, would you please?
Lewes The Bet
We aren’t sure how common it is in Delaware to dare your buddy to marry someone, but the city of Lewes has taken the (assumingly necessary) measure of allowing people who married on a dare to get an annulment.
Florida
If you are planning on committing any “lewd acts” in Florida with your partner and happen to be unmarried, make sure that you live in separate houses. Living together and performing such unspeakable acts is a violation of the law, but not if you live next door, across the street, or anywhere else for that matter.
Michigan
If you’re a woman in Michigan who happens to be married, it is illegal for you to cut your own hair without your husband’s permission. But ladies, fear not! For if your husband scowls at you, he too is in violation of the law. Looks like we have a bit of a Mexican standoff, don’t we?
Mississippi
Mississippi takes a strong stance against polygamy, and can jail you for up to six months and/or issue a $500 fine for just telling people about it. We would imagine this to be a violation in the Bill of Rights at least from a First Amendment standpoint, but you can get the same punishment(s) for living with your significant other out of wedlock as well. Heaven forbid if you participate in “unnatural intercourse”, whether voluntary or not, as that can land you in prison for up to ten years and cost up to $10,000!
Montana
Ladies, you just have it bad all around, don’t you? First they try to convict you of a felony for opening your husband’s mail, then they make it illegal for you to fish alone on Sunday’s if you’re married. What next? No fishing alone at all? Oh, right…that already applies if you’re unmarried.
North Carolina
According to North Carolina state law, do not say that you are married when registering at a hotel unless you actually are, otherwise you will be. But that first night of married life might not be all that different, since all couples staying overnight in a hotel must, by law, sleep in separate double beds. If for some strange reason, you thought a churchyard was a close second runner-up for consummating the marriage, it should already go without saying, but that is illegal as well.