Court annuls marriage after Melbourne bride thought wedding was ‘sham’ to boost groom’s Instagram
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Judge finds woman ‘believed she was acting in a social media event’ rather than official ceremony. A Melbourne couple’s marriage has been annulled after the bride told a court she had thought their wedding was nothing more than a social media stunt to boost his Instagram following.
In an October family court judgment published on Thursday, a judge annulled the December 2023 marriage after finding the bride “believed she was acting in a social media event”, rather than in a legally binding wedding ceremony. The bride, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had told the court that she met the groom on a dating app in September 2023 and met the following day at a church.
At the time, she was in her mid 20s and he was in his late 30s. For the next three months, they remained in contact, before she said the groom invited her to a “white party” in Sydney in December, the court heard. She said after arriving at the venue she was “shocked” to learn the man had “organised a wedding”.
The bride said she became uncomfortable and wanted to leave, but the groom told her “it was a simple prank”. “When I got there, and I didn’t see anybody in white, I asked him, ‘What’s happening?’” she told the court. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email.
“He told me that he’s organising a prank wedding for his social media. To be precise, Instagram, because he wants to boost his content and wants to start monetising his Instagram page.”. In court, footage of the ceremony was played, showing the couple exchanging vows and rings.
