An Australian woman recently discovered that a “fake wedding” she participated in for social media purposes was, in fact, a real marriage. The woman, who remains unnamed, met her partner on a dating app in September 2023. After a few months of dating, he invited her to a “white party” in Sydney, requesting that she wear a white dress. To her surprise, the event turned out to be a wedding ceremony attended by a photographer, their assistant and a marriage officiant.
Her partner assured her it was just a prank to boost his Instagram following. Reassured by a friend over the phone, the woman went along with the staged ceremony. However, two months later, her partner revealed his true intentions when he asked her to include him in her permanent residency application. She then learned that he had secretly filed legal marriage paperwork with a forged signature before the wedding.
The woman took the matter to the Family Court of Australia, where the judge annulled the marriage. The court ruled that her participation in the wedding was based on the belief that it was staged for social media, making the marriage invalid.
The man argued that they had agreed to an intimate wedding, but inconsistencies in his testimony worked against him. The court’s decision ensured that the woman was not legally bound to the fraudulent marriage. This unusual case serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and consent in legal commitments.
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