Woman Divorces After Discovering Fake Wedding Was Actually Legal Marriage in Australia

Canberra:A woman in Australia filed for divorce after discovering that a “fake” wedding, held as an Instagram stunt, was actually a legal marriage. This unusual incident occurred when the woman’s friend, a social media influencer, convinced her to participate in a wedding ceremony for the sake of Instagram content. The woman found out the truth when her partner attempted to use the marriage for permanent residency in Australia.

According to the BBC, the case began in September 2023 when the woman and her partner met on an online dating platform. They started meeting regularly, and in December 2023, the man proposed to the woman, who accepted. Two days later, the woman was invited to attend an event in Sydney. She was told that it would be a “white party” where guests would wear white clothes, and she packed her white outfit to attend the event.

However, upon arriving in Sydney, the woman was shocked and angry to find that only her partner, a photographer, the photographer’s friend, and a marriage registrar were present at the event. When she asked her partner for an explanation, he told her that it was an “Instagram prank” designed to enhance their social media content and make money.

Two months later, the man asked the woman to include him in her permanent residency application. She replied that it was not possible since they were not married. It was then that the man revealed that the Sydney event had been a real wedding. The woman later received their marriage certificate and discovered a “Notice of Intended Marriage” that had been filed before their Sydney trip. According to the woman, she had not signed this notice, and the signature on the document was different from her original signature.

The woman told the court that she had considered the event a “prank” and was unaware of its legal status. In its ruling, the court acknowledged that the woman had been misled about the nature of the event and had not given real consent to participate. In October 2024, the court annulled the marriage and supported the woman’s claim that she had been deceived.