Weird Marriage and Wedding Records

Last night, my brother and I watched the incredible Benedict Cumberbatch kick some serious arse as Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. I'm not a huge Trekkie but I've been known to enjoy the occasional Star Trek movie. Invariably, our discussion turned to actors who have portrayed the various Star Trek characters throughout the years, which led to a discussion about Ricardo Montalbán - the original Khan in the television series and 1982 film (Wrath of Khan). After a quick Wikipedia read of Montalbán's biography, I learned that he and his wife had been married for 63 years -- from 1944 until the wife's demise in 2007. Holy cow! 63 years is quite a feat not just for a Hollywood marriage but for marriage in general. 

Naturally, this discovery turns into a blog post. I decided to check out some weird, but interesting marriage and wedding records. Enjoy!

Longest marriage

On 11 December 1925, Karam Chand married Kartari Chand in a rural village in northern India. Relocating to England in 1965, the Chands have eight children, 27 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. Mr. Chand is 109 years old and his wife is 102 and will (hopefully) celebrate their 90th wedding anniversary next December. Goodness gracious!

Shortest marriage

In 2012, a Dubai man divorced his bride 'seconds' after the wedding. Just after he stepped out of the court where he got married, the groom stepped into another court next door and divorced her. When he was asked by the divorcing judge how long he had been married to his wife, he did not hesitate when he replied "just seconds". The reason he gave for wanting the divorce was that he was forced by his bride's father to allow her to keep her job. And you thought Brittany Spear's 2 day marriage was short. Although there's an even shorter Hollywood marriage: Rudolph Valentino and Jean Acker were married a mere 6 hours in 1919.

Most marriage vow renewals - same couple

Lauren and David Blair have wed 109 times since their first wedding in 1984. They have renewed their vows at a number of various venues, including Graceland's Chapel in the Woods for their 45th wedding; on the stage set of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet for the 50th wedding, at a Tennessee Titans tailgate party in Nashville; the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland; and even a funeral parlor in Kentucky. Freaks!

Most expensive wedding gown

At $12 million, a diamond encrusted dress is the most expensive wedding dress in the world (photo left). Laced with 150 carats of diamonds, this dress wasn’t even constructed for a bride-to-be. Put together for a 2006 bridal show at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Ray, the dress was designed by Renee Strauss and Martin Katz provided the jewels. This gown has yet to find a bride, not surprising considering the cost. The most expensive gown that has actually been worn by a bride in a wedding is Kate Middleton's gown with the price tag of $388,088. In comparison, Kate's gown is a bargain!

Longest wedding veil

Last year, Fashion designer Hany El Behairy created a 3 mile long veil which was displayed at the "Perfect Wedding Show" in United Arab Emirates. Made from silk tulle, the veil weights about 15 pounds and is adorned with crystals and pearls.

Largest underwater wedding

The largest underwater wedding was achieved by 303 divers who attended the marriage ceremony between Ewa Staronska and Pawel Burkowski at the Koparki Diving Base, Jaworzno, Poland, on 27 August 2011. The wedding ceremony lasted around 18 minutes and was preceded over by Father Pawel Wrobel, a local priest and licensed frogman. The couple and the priest communicated with each other underwater by using water proof texts and a system of sign language.

Oldest divorcees

In 2012, a 99-year old Italian man filed for divorce after discovering letters from an affair his wife had over 60 years ago. "Antonio C" (as he is referred to in court documents) confronted his wife of 77 years, 96-year-old "Rosa C," about the letters and demanded a divorce. She reportedly confessed but was unable to convince him to stay, though she has not contested the divorce. Court papers indicate she wrote the letters during an affair in the 1940s. The couple has five children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Oldest wedding couple

A couple in Paraguay have proven that it's never too late to tie the knot. Jose Manuel Riella, 103, married his partner of 80 years, 99-year-old Martina Lopez in a religious ceremony at their home in Santa Rosa del Aguaray, around 200 kilometres north-east of the capital Asuncion in October 2013.

Most marriages

Baptist minister, Glynn ("Scotty") Wolfe holds the record for the most monogamous marriages in a lifetime having married a jaw-dropping 29 times! His shortest marriage lasted 19 days and his longest 11 years. 23 of his marriages ended in divorce. His final marriage was a publicity stunt as he married the woman with the most marriages, Linda Wolfe. She has been married 23 times. Wolfe died in 1997 at the age of 88 so there will not be a 30th wedding.

Largest wedding bouquet

The largest wedding bouquet measured 197 feet 1 inch long and was made using 1,500 flowers including roses and carnations. It was held by Canadian Christa Rasanayagam when she married Australian Arulanantham Suresh Joachim at King Catholic Church, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada on 6 September 2003. The bouquet also weighed 202.8 pounds and was made up of 500 roses, 400 carnations, 60 lilies, 200 daisies and 340 baby breaths. The couple used 79 bridesmaids and 47 groomsmen to assist them.

Largest wedding cake

Philippine couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera were wed on December 30, 2014 and might own the world's biggest cake to be used in a wedding ceremony to date (photo below). The cake, sponsored by Goldilocks, is 12 feet high, weighs 265 pounds, and needed ten people to transport it. It was also decorated with Swarovski crystals and was 3D-mapped for CG effects. According to Guinness, the current largest wedding cake was made by Mohegan Sun Casino in 2004, but was only utilized for presentation purposes; although it did weigh an astounding 15,000 pounds!