NEW YORK (GUARDIAN) - For some nervous couples, a proxy marriage might sound too good to be true.
Award-winning British documentary maker and former actor Debbie Howard recently released the first film about an American duo who run a proxy marriage business from their rural home in Flathead, Montana.
Her film Absent From Our Own Wedding tells the story of retired husband and wife team Tom and Teresa Kennedy. They conduct about 500 weddings a year for a fee of US$750 (S$990), without ever meeting a blushing bride or a gallant groom.
Montana is the only American state where double proxy weddings are legal and the Kennedys believe they are offering a useful service to couples who cannot arrange to be together on their big day.
Mr Kennedy, of Armed Forces Proxy Marriages , said: "I stumbled on this law and now we just love doing it and we want to carry on. We are not doing it for the money.
"We are fine, because Teresa was a stockbroker and I worked in public service for around 25 years, including a long time in the fire department."
The obscure Montana law dates back to the 1860s, he explained, and was initially a way to help out the male mining community.
"All the women were on the east coast and it was not seen as proper to bring them to tough all-male mining communities to get married," he said.
Mrs Kennedy, 56, regularly stands in for either the bride or groom while a colleague steps up to play the other party.
In the past, a double proxy marriage was possible in Montana for anyone who applied from anywhere in the world. But 10 years ago, the code was changed. Now one of the two getting married must be a resident of Montana - or on active duty in the armed services.
"Outside of Montana, very few people have heard of this," said Mr Kennedy, 66.
"It is very obscure and even federal officials know nothing about it.
"The fact is, in Montana, you do not even need to be a magistrate or a judge to marry people. You just have to appear to be of sound mind to those who are present at the time.
"You could even marry yourselves."
Howard's documentary is now showing as part of the Real Stories strand on YouTube.
