Buzz
If you’ve ever dreamed of marrying someone who has already passed, you might be surprised to know that in certain locations, this could be allowed—assuming you fulfill specific conditions and the law permits it.
France is considered the global hub for posthumous weddings. This tradition began during World War I, when the fiancées and lovers of fallen soldiers were permitted to marry them through proxy. In 1950, the French government officially recognized the practice. According to the law, the living partner must obtain the approval of both the President and the Justice Minister. Following this, a simple ceremony takes place, with the bride or groom standing next to a photograph of the deceased. Instead of the usual vow, 'till death do us part,' the phrase 'I do' is replaced with 'I did.'
To be eligible, one must present strong evidence that the deceased intended to marry them while still alive. For instance, in 2009, Magali Jaskiewicz’s request was accepted after she showed that her fiancé had arranged a wedding date at their local town hall just two days before his tragic death in a car accident (and she had already bought her wedding dress).
In the U.S., while federal law does not acknowledge posthumous marriages, there have been attempts to carry them out. In 1988, after Floridian Isaac Woginiak passed away, his fiancée successfully applied for a marriage license. However, his sons, feeling they hadn't been properly informed, took the case to a higher court, which subsequently revoked the license.
In South Korea, the government allowed the pregnant fiancée of deceased boxer Duk-koo Kim to ‘console’ his spirit by marrying him following his fatal match against Ray Mancini in 1982. Similarly, in Germany, Fritz Pfeffer—known by the alias “Albert Dussel” in Anne Frank's diary—was married posthumously in 1950 to Charlotta Kaletta, his partner before he went into hiding and eventually perished in a concentration camp.
