The most ridiculous marriage laws in America

No minimum age for marriage - The law was initially created to establish 18 as the minimum age for marriage, excluding pregnant teenagers. However, due to a typo, it was written that children of any age can marry with their parent’s permission. The mistake stirred so much debate that it took a special session with the state legislature to resolve it.

10 / 31 Fotos

You have to go hunting before getting hitched - In the small town of Truro on Cape Cod, it was voted in 1771 that before marriage a man must prove his manhood by shooting birds.

11 / 31 Fotos

You have to go hunting before getting hitched - The law reads, "every single man in the township shall kill six blackbirds or three crows, and shall not be married till they comply with this requisition."

12 / 31 Fotos

You are legally obliged to be nice to your mother-in-law - Relationships with the in-laws can be notoriously challenging, but if you can’t manage to bite your tongue, then don’t move to Kansas.

13 / 31 Fotos

You are legally obliged to be nice to your mother-in-law - In Wichita, KS, it is illegal to disrespect your mother-in-law, and any sort of mistreatment can be used as grounds for divorce.

14 / 31 Fotos

Getting an annulment after marrying on a dare - Apparently getting married as a prank is common enough in Delaware that they had to make a law for it.

15 / 31 Fotos

Getting an annulment after marrying on a dare - When filing for a marriage annulment, you have the option of checking the box, “because of a jest or dare,” as your reason for marrying.

16 / 31 Fotos

Marrying someone from thousands of miles away - In California, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, and Montana, it is legal for you to have someone stand in for your spouse at your wedding if they are in the US Armed Forces.

17 / 31 Fotos

Marrying someone from thousands of miles away - If you are in Montana, it is actually legal to have a double-proxy wedding, meaning that neither the bride or groom have to be present at their own wedding.

18 / 31 Fotos

Proposing to a woman for the wrong reasons - In South Carolina, it is a misdemeanor for a man above the age of 16 to propose to a woman solely for the means of seducing her.

19 / 31 Fotos

Proposing to a woman for the wrong reasons - Though this is enforced under the Offenses Against Morality and Decency Act, it is unclear if it can be proven in a court of law.

20 / 31 Fotos

Married couples sleeping naked in a rented room - After the witch trials over 300 years ago, some pretty bizarre and hyper-religious laws were left on the books.

21 / 31 Fotos

Married couples sleeping naked in a rented room - Apparently it is technically illegal for spouses to sleep naked in a hotel room. However, this is another law that would be difficult to enforce.

22 / 31 Fotos

Marrying your cousin - Despite being extremely taboo, it is perfectly legal for you to marry your first cousin in 19 different states and Washington, D.C.

23 / 31 Fotos

Marrying your cousin - It is legal to marry your cousin in North Carolina except in the case of a double first cousin marriage. It is also legal in several other states if the parties are above the age of 50 or if one of them is infertile.

24 / 31 Fotos

Interracial marriage - Anti-miscegenation laws were on the books across America until 1967, when they were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the Loving v. Virginia case.

25 / 31 Fotos

Interracial marriage - However, laws prohibiting interracial relationships were included in South Carolina legislature until 2000.

26 / 31 Fotos

Married couples engaging in PDA on a Sunday - If you want to give your wife or hubby a kiss during a romantic stroll through the park, don’t do it on the Lord’s Day in Hartford, CT.

27 / 31 Fotos

Married couples engaging in PDA on a Sunday - While it is extremely unlikely that any police officer would enforce such a law, it is technically still on the books and remains illegal.

28 / 31 Fotos

Men need a prenup in this southern state - If you are a man about to get married in Alabama, you may want to look into a prenuptial agreement.

29 / 31 Fotos

Men need a prenup in this southern state - The marriage and divorce laws in Alabama entitle the wife to all possessions acquired before marriage. However, this allowance is not given to men.

30 / 31 Fotos

0 / 31 Fotos

1 / 31 Fotos

Fortune tellers can’t officiate a wedding - However, in New Orleans, LA, it is illegal for tarot readers, physics, or palm readers to perform a marriage ceremony.

2 / 31 Fotos

Mental illness divorce - Courts in the state of New York are obligated to grant a divorce when one member of the couple can be deemed legally insane.

3 / 31 Fotos

Mental illness divorce - However, there are some time restrictions. Automatic divorce is only allowed if the behavior has continued for at least five years.

4 / 31 Fotos

Marrying your uncle - Connecticut is the only state in America that allows nieces and uncles to marry each other.

5 / 31 Fotos

Marrying your uncle - However, this is only legal in the case of half-blood relations.

6 / 31 Fotos

Marrying the same man four times - In Kentucky, it is illegal to remarry the same person four times. Apparently, this was enough of an issue at one point that the law needed to intervene.

7 / 31 Fotos

Marrying the same man four times - However, it is totally legal to divorce and marry four different men, or remarry the same person up to three times.

8 / 31 Fotos

No minimum age for marriage - For a few months between 2007 and 2008, it was legal in Arkansas for people to marry at any age as long as they obtained parental consent.

9 / 31 Fotos