Some laws are relevant and some are not, but are still in place. Although they may no longer be appropriate, they once served a purpose in our country. Since most are outdated, you may be breaking the law without realizing it, though the chances of you getting in trouble are slim.
False Teeth
If you’re married in Vermont, watch out if you need to wear false teeth. A wife is supposed to seek her husband’s permission to wear dentures. It doesn’t matter if it’s for aesthetic reasons, comfort, or any other reason; you’re required to obtain written permission from your husband first, or you’re breaking the law.
No Kissing
If you live in Connecticut, you probably don’t know that you’re not allowed to kiss your spouse on Sundays. Sunday is considered the Lord’s Day, and as such, it’s not something that is condoned; it was made a law. However, this is a law we’re sure everyone breaks each week.
Proxy
Royals used to do this, and it’s still something that’s done, but only in certain states or specific situations. For instance, if the marriage is to someone in the Armed Forces, you can have a proxy. The only states that allow this are Montana, which permits double-proxy weddings, as well as California, Colorado, and Kansas.
Marrying Multiple Times
If you live in Kentucky, you can’t marry the same person four times. So if you’ve divorced them three times, the state says you can’t do it again. It’s probably because they think if you’ve married this many times and still aren’t meant to be, maybe someone needs to stop you on the fourth try.
You Better Mean It
In South Carolina, you’d better mean it if you propose marriage to a woman. Any man over 16 who asks for a woman’s hand, for the sake of seduction or with malicious intent, can go to jail because he’s violated the Offenses Against Morality and Decency Act. He can then spend up to a year in prison. This is especially true if the woman had been saving herself for marriage and the groom simply wanted to consummate the marriage.
I Dare You
If you’ve been dared to get married as a prank in Delaware, you have the option to file for annulment because apparently, they’ve seen this often enough that they made a law about it. We’ve never seen anyone make a life-changing decision on a dare, but if it happens, at least you know that there is a way to get out of it.
Mother-in-law
For some, their mother-in-law isn’t the nicest person in the world, and they have issues with each other. However, if you genuinely have a dislike, you should know that in Wichita, Kansas, you can obtain a divorce. While it’s speculated if this is still a law or not, it’s interesting to know that at one point, if you were rude to your mother-in-law, it was grounds for divorce.
Clothes
If you visit Salem, be prepared to keep your clothes on if you’re sleeping in a rented room. That means hotels, AirBnBs, and other rentals. It is against the law to sleep without your clothes as a married couple in this town, though honestly, people have broken the law before.
No Drinking
In Tennessee or Mississippi, you need to be sober before you get married. If a county clerk in either state believes you’ve been drinking or your groom has, then you can’t get married because they could deny you a marriage license. They can do the same if you are insane or considered to be an ‘imbecile.’
Cousins
Kissing cousins are allowed to get married in the state of Utah. This term refers to first cousins. The state will allow first cousins to marry, provided they are at least 65 years of age. The idea behind it is that at this age, it’s unlikely that the couple would be having children.
Prove Your Worth
This is another one that is debated as to whether it’s still a law. But in the town of Truno, a man was supposed to hunt and kill half a dozen blackbirds to prove his worth. If none were available, the man had to kill three crows instead. If he didn’t do that, there were issues because this was what was necessary for obtaining permission to marry.
No Psychics
If you’re in New Orleans, you can’t get married by a psychic, a palm reader, or a fortune teller. This is also true for any other ‘mystic.’ You’ll have to wait and have an official religious figure or officiant to marry you, like everyone else. Besides, how fun would it be if you were already guessing your future marriage?
Mental Competency
In Arizona, if you’re considered to be mentally incompetent or your potential spouse is, they can deny you a marriage license. To have the best chance of getting married, you’ll have to show that your mental capacity is entirely intact so that you can obtain the future that you’d like.
Prank Marriage
As stated above, in certain states, prank marriages can be fixed. However, you may not be aware that in New York, a prank marriage can become a genuine and legally binding union. The caveat is such that a marriage shall not be annulled on the ground of fraud if it appears that before the commencement, the man and woman cohabited as a married couple with knowledge of facts constituting the fraud.
Breaking Plates
In Florida, you should watch your temper if you have a penchant for breaking plates because here, you’re only allowed to break three a day if you’re married. Otherwise, you’re breaking the law. Perhaps the state was tired of sweeping up broken glass or was afraid someone would get hurt?
Crazy Laws
The laws on this list are astonishing and, in many cases, crazy. They prompt people to consider the circumstances that led to these laws being enacted in the first place. Whatever the reason, these laws will either make you chuckle or prompt you to reconsider marriage in certain states because you don’t want to get caught up in the legal issues.
