The last thing on my mind right now should be marriage and children. I'm 21, sans potential husband, and I still haven't reached the perfect pre-baby figure. But this doesn't stop me endlessly pinning wedding dresses onto a board I've called "My style". Don't ask.Furthermore, when I hear wedding bells ringing on my Facebook timeline, coupled with my colleagues sending me pictures of their dream wedding dresses and sparkling white Jimmy Choos over the office IM, it's hard to ignore the matter altogether. I think I can therefore be forgiven for occasionally daydreaming about ivory, lace, fruit cake and fondant icing shaped like doves. And dropping into conversation the fact that I want aquamarines and diamonds in my engagement ring too. I mean, I'm obviously not going to accept a freebie from a cereal box so I might as well state the real deal before it's too late and my husband to be buys me a sickly Canary diamond ring à la Kelly Clarkson. I kid you not when I say that poor taste in engagement rings could make it or break it for a potential suitor of mine. And that includes buying it online. Apart from that, I'm not too fussy. Although I might as well mention that I also want a horse-drawn carriage on my way to the church and a reception of 2,000 and four dozen white roses in crystal vases for every square metre. That's all.
Even if I have to dress up my dog as the groom in the process, I am determined at some point in my life to walk down the aisle. You know, marrying your pet isn't actually frowned upon in all cultures. I'm kidding. Human-animal marriage, as my source acutely puts it, is not recognised in law by any country. Sadly this doesn't include men with animalistic tendencies. Sigh.
Interestingly enough however, in 2003 a 9 year old tribal girl in eastern India married a dog because she believed it would ward off bad omens. Fact. And this wasn't some beloved pet she'd been caring for - it was a stray dog. According to the BBC article, the girl had a tooth rooted to her upper gum (a sign of bad things to come), hence her tribe's insistence that she either marry a dog, or face the bad omen. Luckily for the girl, the tribal elders confirmed that this marriage would not affect her ability to marry again, and neither would she have to go through divorce proceedings. I wouldn't be surprised however if she was found citing "irreconcilable differences".
And then in 2006, a Sudanese man was forced to marry a goat after being caught having sex with it. The culprit, Mr Tombe, was ordered by a council of elders to pay 15,000 Sudanese dinars (£37) to the goat's owner before taking it home to be his wife. The goat, who was later nicknamed Rose, became the best-known goat in Sudan. Sadly for Mr. Tombe however, Rose died a few months following the wedding after choking. On a plastic bag, I hasten to add. Gone, but not forgoaten. (And she left a 'kid' in her legacy too. I'm thinking someone wasn't a very faithful wife!)
Interestingly enough however, in 2003 a 9 year old tribal girl in eastern India married a dog because she believed it would ward off bad omens. Fact. And this wasn't some beloved pet she'd been caring for - it was a stray dog. According to the BBC article, the girl had a tooth rooted to her upper gum (a sign of bad things to come), hence her tribe's insistence that she either marry a dog, or face the bad omen. Luckily for the girl, the tribal elders confirmed that this marriage would not affect her ability to marry again, and neither would she have to go through divorce proceedings. I wouldn't be surprised however if she was found citing "irreconcilable differences".
And then in 2006, a Sudanese man was forced to marry a goat after being caught having sex with it. The culprit, Mr Tombe, was ordered by a council of elders to pay 15,000 Sudanese dinars (£37) to the goat's owner before taking it home to be his wife. The goat, who was later nicknamed Rose, became the best-known goat in Sudan. Sadly for Mr. Tombe however, Rose died a few months following the wedding after choking. On a plastic bag, I hasten to add. Gone, but not forgoaten. (And she left a 'kid' in her legacy too. I'm thinking someone wasn't a very faithful wife!)
2006 was a popular year in terms of human-animal weddings after an Indian woman supposedly, and I quote, 'fell in love with a snake' - yes, that is right. She married the reptile in a traditional Hindu ceremony with 2,000 guests in attendance. The Press Trust of India exaplined how Priests chanted mantras to 'seal' the union, but the cobra failed to come out of a nearby ant hill where it lived. Instead, a brass replica of the snake stood in for the hesitant groom. Sneaky. Or should I say snakey?
So, dear readers, if you had to marry any animal, which would you choose? A dog, a goat, a snake? Or maybe you'd go a little closer to home and wed an orangutan? The possibilities are endless...
P.s. I'd just like to point out that contrary to popular belief, I am in no desperate rush to get married. Quite the opposite. I am almost determined not to tie the knot until I'm at least 27. So in the meantime, I'll satisfy myself by Googling wedding venues instead.. ;)
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