Most of us see a clear line between people, animals, and things. But some people feel differently. They might have romantic or sexual feelings for objects. This is called objectophilia. Some think objects have feelings. Others know it’s just an object, but love it anyway.
Sometimes, this love leads to marriage. It might be real love, or just for attention. Let’s explore ten cases of people marrying everyday objects. Note that these marriages aren’t legally recognized.
10. Love Calls for Aaron Chervenak
Artist and director Aaron Chervenak got married in Las Vegas. He looked like a groom, but his bride was a smartphone.
The officiant asked, “Do you, Aaron, take this smartphone to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you also promise to love her, honor her, comfort and keep her, and be faithful to her?”
Aaron said yes. He wanted to show how important phones are in our lives. It also got him some attention.
9. The Case for Rain Gordon
Rain Gordon met Gideon in a hardware store in Moscow. Rain was 24. Five years later, they married. Gideon is a briefcase.
Rain believes objects have souls. She had a crush on a shopping center when she was young. She says her relationship with Gideon is better than any she had with men.
8. Pascale Snuggles Up
Pascale “married” her duvet in Exeter, Britain. Guests wore bedroom clothes. Pascale wanted to highlight loneliness in society and chose a date before Valentine’s Day to get more attention.
7. Ned Nefer Builds a Relationship
Ned Nefer met his wife’s head in 1986. Over the next few years, he built her a body. He says she told him how to do it.
Ned married Teagan in a private ceremony. They took their vows by the ocean. In 2011, he took Teagan, in a wheelchair, for a walk in New York. Police questioned him but let him go because he seemed happy.
6. No Barrier to Love
Eija-Riitta Berliner-Mauer, from Sweden, loved the Berlin Wall. She fell for it at age seven and married it in 1979.
The Wall was torn down in 1989. Eija then liked railroad tracks, bridges, and fences, but nothing replaced the Wall. She died in 2015, heartbroken.
5. The Right Fit
Noorul Mahjabeen Hassan, called Fractal Database, married her Tetris game. She had relationships with other objects before.
One was with Pierre, a calculator. But she’s also attracted to IKEA, iPods, GPS systems, and Google Cloud.
4. Deep-Rooted Love
Emma McCabe fell in love with Tim, a poplar tree. She’d had bad relationships with men and preferred the tree’s company.
She said she loved the feeling of skin-to-bark contact. Tim didn’t comment.
3. Tower of Power
Erika Eiffel was discharged from the Air Force. She’d fallen in love with an F-15 fighter jet. She married the Eiffel Tower in 2007.
Erika says they share feelings. She founded Objectum Sexuality International, for people who love objects.
2. Off the Shelf
Maria Yoon’s father wanted her to marry. Maria, a performance artist, married in every state, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
She married 36 men, two women, and objects like a ghost town and the Liberty Bell. Her movie about it got good reviews.
1. All the Fun of the Fair
Amy Wolfe married a roller coaster. She loved 1001 Nacht and rode it 3000 times before marrying it.
She’d also loved model spaceships, the Twin Towers, and a banister. She carries nuts and bolts from the roller coaster to feel close to it.
These stories show love can take surprising forms. Whether for publicity, or genuine affection, these people found love in unexpected places.
What do you think about these unusual marriages? Leave your comment below!