Top 10 Wedding Wonders
With the recent world record wedding at Rudding Park between Amy Ewing and Alex Simmons it got us thinking at Paradigm Family Law what other romantic world records are out there. What an amorous world we live in, testament to which is the following list of our top 10 record breaking matrimonial achievements:
Record number of helpers at a Wedding – Amy Ewing & Alex Simmons’ wedding, with 130 bridesmaids and 103 ushers (previous record 126 bridesmaids, and 46 ushers), celebrated at Rudding Park, UK
Longest marriage – Herbert Fisher (USA, b. 10 June 1905, d. 27 February 2011) and Zelmyra Fisher (USA, b. 10 December 1907, d. 20 February 2013) were married on 13 May 1924 in North Carolina, USA. They had been married 86 years, 290 days as of 27 February 2011, when Mr Fisher passed away.
Oldest couple to marry – aggregate age On 1 February 2002, François Fernandez (France, b. 17 April 1906) and Berthe Andrée “Madeleine” Francineau (France, b. 15 July 1907) exchanged marriage vows at the rest home Le Foyer du Romarin, Clapiers, France, at the age of 96 years 290 days and 94 years 201 days, respectively. Their aggregate age at the time of the ceremony totalled 191 years 126 days.
Longest engagement – The longest engagement on record was between Octavio Guillan and Adriana Mart¡nez. They finally took the plunge after 67 years in June 1969 in Mexico City. Both were then aged 82.
Most expensive wedding dress – was especially created for the Luxury Brands Lifestyle Bridal Show held on 26 February 2006 at The Ritz-Carlton on Rodeo Drive in Marina del Rey, California, USA. A joint effort by Martin Katz Jewellers and Renee Strauss, a bridal couture designer, the $12 million wedding gown is bedecked with 150 carats’ worth of diamonds.
Most generations to celebrate a 60th wedding anniversary – The record for most generations of the same family to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary (60th) is four by the descendants of William and Rose Hill (UK). In all there have been six diamond wedding celebrations within their family.
Most couples married underwater simultaneously – On 14 February 2001 (Valentine’s Day), 34 couples from 22 countries simultaneously exchanged wedding vows 10 metres (32.8 ft) underwater near Kradan Island, Southern Thailand. Only couples holding international diving licences were qualified to participate. Couples received waterproof certificates before taking off their mouthpieces and indulging themselves in an underwater kiss.
The longest bridal wedding veil – is 4,686 m (15,373 ft 11.82 in) long, and was made by Rozana Hospitality (UAE), it was presented at the opening of the Perfect Wedding Show, at Sharjah Expo Center, in Sharjah, UAE, on 6 March 2014.
Most expensive wedding cake slice – A box containing a piece of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s 1937 wedding cake sold at Sotheby’s, New York, USA on 27 February 1998 for $29,900 (£18,163) to Benjamin and Amanda Yin of San Francisco, USA. Bearing the inscription ‘A piece of our wedding cake WE 3-V1-37’, the lot was estimated originally at US$500 – $1,000 (£303 – £607).
And not forgetting our 4 legged friends – The record for the largest dog ‘wedding’ ceremony was achieved by 178 dog pairs who sealed their marriage with a bark on the notes of the wedding march at the “Bow Wow Vows event” organised by the Aspen Grove Lifestyle Center in Littleton, United States, on 19 May 2007. The ceremony was unofficial and has no legal value but the participants were issued a complimentary wedding ‘certificate’. All pairs had met during a speed dating session prior to the ceremony.
We think you’ll agree, a truly inspirational – and international – collection of record breaking romantics, from the UK to USA, Mexico to France. Let’s hope that weddings and marriage continue to make and break records for many years to come. And if you are planning a world record attempt, let us know – it would be great to hear from you. Get in touch via our twitter account @ParadigmFamLaw or tweet us @JamesT_Paradigm or @FrankA_Paradigm.
