In an unusual judicial decision, an Australian court annulled the marriage of a couple from Melbourne after the bride declared that she believed the ceremony was a joke for social media. The case, which has attracted attention for its unusual details, highlights the risks of dynamics influenced by the obsession with fame on digital platforms.
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According to documents from the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, the couple met on a dating app in September 2023. Despite the short duration of their relationship, the man, a supposed influencer with over 17 thousand followers on Instagram, organized a surprise wedding in December of that same year.
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How an "Instagram Game" ended up in an annulled marriage
The woman, around 20 years old, attended the event thinking it was a "white party" like the ones they had enjoyed on other occasions. When she arrived at the venue, she noticed something strange: no one else was dressed in white. When she asked, the man explained to her that it was a "joke wedding" to create content for Instagram.
Confident that marriage would not be legal without a formal registration, the woman agreed to participate, believing it was all part of a social media strategy. However, what seemed like a setup turned out to be a legally binding ceremony.
The situation became complicated when, months later, the woman discovered that the marriage was legitimate. As she explained to the court, the man asked her to include him as a dependent in a permanent residency application, which outraged her. She claimed she had been manipulated and that the man's true intention was to obtain immigration benefits.
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Judge Joshua Wilson, in charge of the case, ruled that the woman never had the conscious intention of getting married. He argued that the man hiring an officiant a month before and deceiving the woman about the nature of the event demonstrated the lack of informed consent.
He also pointed out that the absence of the bride’s family and friends, combined with the unusual circumstances, reinforced the validity of the annulment. This case not only reflects how social networks can influence personal decisions, but also the dangers of prioritizing digital content over reality.