Welcome to a whirlwind tour of love that defies logic—here are 10 people who married inanimate objects, proving that true devotion can be found in the most unexpected places.

10 People Who Married Objects

10 Linda Ducharme

In 2015 the Floridian made a splash on TLC’s reality series My Strange Addiction. While the show’s title suggests a compulsive habit, Ducharme insists she isn’t hooked on carnival rides—she’s simply fallen head‑over‑heels for one. Her beloved is Bruce, a towering Ferris wheel.

Ducharme first laid eyes on Bruce at a traveling carnival back in 1982. After a three‑decade courtship she pledged to love, honor, and obey the 21‑meter‑tall (70‑foot) steel giant in 2012. When a 1986 storm battered the wheel, forcing its retirement, Ducharme rescued the wreckage and has since poured nearly $100,000 into restoring her mechanical soulmate.

According to Ducharme, sharing a life with a Ferris wheel is no different from any other marriage. She talks about spending quality time together and even enjoys candlelit dinners beside the rotating spokes.

Bruce isn’t her first unconventional sweetheart; before settling down with the wheel, Ducharme dated a plane and a train, proving her affection for non‑human companions runs deep.

9 Zheng Jiajia

Zheng Jiajia, a 31‑year‑old artificial‑intelligence engineer, felt pressure from his family to find a wife. In a country where a gender imbalance left many men without eligible partners, he turned to technology for a solution.

In 2016 Zheng built a robot named Yingying and, after a brief two‑month romance, walked her down the aisle. The ceremony was modest yet traditional, complete with a red scarf draped over Yingying’s head and friends and relatives bearing witness.

Yingying’s current capabilities are modest—she can recognize simple images and utter a handful of words—but Zheng has grand plans: he hopes to program her to walk unaided and eventually handle chores like laundry and dishwashing.

8 Babylonia Aivaz

In January 2012 a Seattle resident wed a 107‑year‑old warehouse just weeks before the building’s slated demolition. The ceremony, attended by about 50 onlookers, was framed as a gay marriage because the structure was deemed female.

The event sparked protest, with some demonstrators fearing it might undermine the burgeoning marriage‑equality movement. Critics argued that legalizing a union between two women could set a precedent for human‑to‑object marriages, such as a building.

Aivaz, however, chose to sidestep the gender debate and instead highlighted the pressing issue of gentrification. The aging warehouse was slated to be torn down for new apartments, and her ceremony aimed to draw attention to that loss.

After the vows, Aivaz continued advocating for neighborhoods facing gentrification, though she never married another building during subsequent protests.

7 Hsum

Chang His‑hsum endured a heartbreaking tragedy when his first wife, Tsai, took her own life after their families opposed their marriage. Seeking closure, Chang turned to a symbolic union: in 1999 he married a Barbie doll to honor Tsai’s spirit.

The ceremony unfolded at a local Buddhist temple. Barbie was dressed in a traditional wedding gown and wore a gold necklace that had once belonged to Tsai, allowing the family to finally bless the marriage.

Tsai’s dowry had included a red Mercedes; during the ritual a paper replica of the car was burned, granting Tsai a vehicle for the afterlife.

Following the ceremony, Chang returned home with his human wife, his new Barbie bride, and an urn containing Tsai’s ashes. In Chinese culture, object‑based spiritual marriages are not unheard of, but choosing a Barbie doll as a stand‑in for a deceased spouse is certainly unique.

6 Tracey Emin

London‑based artist Tracey Emin, renowned for her provocative work, added another headline‑grabbing chapter to her life in 2015 by marrying a stone.

The stone now resides in the garden of her French home, and while the ceremony was private, Emin has spoken openly about the motivations behind the commitment.

Reading the intimate letters exchanged between Pope John Paul II and philosopher Anna‑Teresa Tymieniecka sparked a contemplation of spiritual versus physical bonds. Emin describes her stone as a “beautiful ancient stone” that serves as an anchor—“it’s not going anywhere.”

She admits that on bad days the stone lifts her spirits. Emin also insists on calling her spouse a stone rather than a rock, drawing a distinction: a rock is cut by humans, whereas a stone is shaped by the Earth itself.

5 Richard Torres

Environmental activist Richard Torres has taken his love for nature to the next level by walking down the aisle with trees.

Often described as a “Johnny Depp doppelganger,” Torres isn’t romantically enamored with his leafy partners; his marriages are acts of advocacy, intended to spotlight ecological concerns.

In 2013 he wed a tree in Peru, marking the start of his tree‑marriage campaign. A few months later he performed a similar ceremony for an Argentinian tree in a Buenos Aires park, complete with vows, a ring, and a kiss.

The following year he married another tree in Bogotá, Colombia, where he appealed to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to cease hostilities and start planting trees.

2016 saw Torres unite with a Cypress tree in Mexico—El Tule, one of the world’s oldest and widest trees. He continues to marry trees, most recently in Guatemala City, using each ceremony to raise awareness for his environmental cause.

4 Jodi Rose

Le Pont du Diable, the Devil’s Bridge in southern France, has stood since the 14th century. In 2013, Jodi Rose exchanged vows with this stone arch, a ceremony blessed by the local mayor and witnessed by fourteen guests.

Rose first encountered the bridge while traveling for her “Singing Bridges” project, which records bridge‑cable vibrations to create music. She fell for the structure’s steadfastness.

She praises the bridge for its fixed, stable, and earth‑rooted nature—qualities she values in a partner. Rose appreciates that the bridge offers a safe haven yet never hinders her when she’s ready to move on.

3 Sal 9000

Love Plus, a Japanese dating‑simulation game, tasks players with courting one of three virtual women by gifting and dating them. The avatars respond to the player’s actions throughout the courtship.

A man known online as “Sal 9000” built a virtual romance with Nene Anegasaki, one of the game’s characters. After three months of digital dating, Sal decided to take the ultimate step and married Nene in 2009.

Sal explains that Nene is his dream woman—she never gets angry, and when she does, she quickly forgives. He feels no need for a human partner because his virtual wife fulfills his desires.

Experts who study internet and gaming addictions note that Sal communicates adequately in the real world, suggesting his marriage to a video‑game avatar isn’t indicative of a severe problem.

2 Lauren Adkins

Teenage heartthrobs often inspire daydreams of becoming Mrs. Celebrity Crush. Lauren Adkins, however, turned that fantasy into a lifelong commitment.

As a teenager, she devoured the Twilight novels and fell hard for Edward Cullen, the brooding vampire. When the books became movies, Robert Pattinson’s portrayal cemented her obsession.

Realizing the odds of marrying the actual actor were slim, Adkins purchased a life‑size cardboard cutout of Pattinson and married it in 2014 at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, with fifty guests in attendance.

The newlyweds then honeymooned in Los Angeles, celebrating a union that existed only in cardboard form but felt very real to Adkins.

1 Carol Santa Fe

Carol Santa Fe first encountered her soulmate at the tender age of nine—a train station in San Diego known as the Santa Fe Depot, affectionately called “Daidra.” After 36 years of devotion, she formalized the bond in 2015.

Each day she spends a 45‑minute commute just to be near Daidra, greeting the station, sharing the details of her day, and even engaging in mental intimacy.

Carol describes a private mental “sex” with the station, noting that certain quiet corners allow her to imagine Daidra’s touch and kiss. The roar of arriving trains, she admits, heightens her arousal.

She keeps her affection discreet to avoid public backlash—citing how another woman was barred from the Eiffel Tower after excessive displays of affection—so she can continue her cherished routine with Daidra.

When you picture a perfect wedding you probably imagine sparkling chandeliers, twinkling fairy lights, fragrant flowers and a dance floor packed with happy guests. Yet for a daring few, the idea of saying “I do” in a place that sends a shiver down the spine adds an extra thrill. This is where our top 10 creepy list steps in – venues that blend romance with the uncanny, perfect for couples who crave a ceremony that’s as unforgettable as it is eerie.

Why These Venues Make the Top 10 Creepy List

From Hollywood legends to centuries‑old castles, each location on this roster carries a chilling backstory, ghostly sightings, or a reputation for strange happenings. Whether you want a hauntingly beautiful ballroom or a desert outpost where the wind whispers lost souls, these spots promise a wedding that will be talked about for generations – or at least whispered about in the dark.

10 The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, swinging its doors open back in May 1927, proudly claims the title of Los Angeles’ oldest hotel. Spanning more than 25,000 square feet, it can comfortably host up to 1,500 guests, offering lavish rooms that harken back to the golden age of cinema. Its guest list reads like a Hollywood Hall of Fame, boasting names such as Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin.

But the glitz isn’t the only thing that haunts this landmark. The hotel is famed for its paranormal activity, featuring specters that are anything but ordinary. Montgomery Clift is said to mischievously tamper with luggage and blow his trumpet at odd hours, while Marilyn Monroe allegedly appears in a mirror that once hung in her suite, lingering in a wistful glow.

Room 213 is notorious for a headless apparition that delights in startling visitors, while faucets and televisions flicker on and off of their own accord. If you’re brave enough to ignore these spooky shenanigans, the Hollywood Roosevelt offers a wedding setting that’s truly one‑of‑a‑kind.

9 Walworth Castle Hotel

Castles have long been favoured for nuptial celebrations, and Walworth Castle Hotel in Darlington is no exception. Dating back to the 12th century, the estate sits on lush green lawns and offers both indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces, making it a dream venue for any bride‑to‑be.

Yet the castle’s breathtaking façade masks a grim tale. Legend tells of a female servant who, after a secret affair with a lord, was cruelly walled into a staircase during renovations to keep the scandal hidden. The servant was reportedly pregnant at the time, and her tragic death left a sorrowful spectre that still roams the corridors.

Patrons and staff alike have reported a host of eerie phenomena: disembodied screams echoing from behind the staircase wall, sudden hair pulls, and shadows drifting across hallways or settling into armchairs. The chilling atmosphere adds an unforgettable edge to any ceremony held here.

8 Berkeley Castle

Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire offers a picture‑perfect setting steeped in history. This 11th‑century fortress opened to the public in 1956 and provides sweeping photo‑backdrops at every turn. Couples can choose a traditional church ceremony or a civil one within its grand chambers, then stroll past lily‑filled ponds and historic terraces, walking in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth I.

Despite its romantic allure, the castle harbours a darker past. A dungeon once stored animal carcasses, and in 1327 Edward II was allegedly imprisoned nearby, the foul stench of rotting beasts intended to make him ill. When that failed, legend claims Edward met a gruesome end within the walls, his anguished cries said to echo across the lawns.

Today, whispers suggest the dungeon also housed human remains, and visitors sometimes report hearing disembodied screams mingling with the tormented wails of Edward’s ghost, adding an eerie soundtrack to any wedding celebration.

7 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa

Set in the charming town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa blends luxury with a spine‑tingling reputation. Guests enjoy spa treatments, gourmet dining, and a host of outdoor activities, from hiking to wine tastings, making it a premier destination resort.

Beyond its five‑star amenities, the hotel is famed as America’s most haunted lodging. During construction, a stonemason named Michael fell to his death inside the building. In the early 1900s, a young woman plummeted from a top‑floor window—some say she was pushed—adding to the hotel’s grim legend.

In 1937, the property changed hands when Norman Baker purchased it and transformed it into a “miracle” cancer cure center. Baker’s methods were far from miraculous; he ensured patients had no close relatives, forced them to sign letters claiming they were cured, and performed bizarre surgeries in the basement, drilling holes in skulls and injecting a concoction of water, corn silk, carbolic acid and watermelon seeds.

The “psychiatric ward” was locked away, leaving patients to scream in agony unheard by the outside world. When they eventually died, Baker would send funeral‑fund requests to any distant relatives, further deepening the hotel’s sinister reputation.

Numerous sightings of spectral doctors, nurses, and wandering patients have been reported. Today, the hotel offers ghost tours that let visitors explore the basement where Baker’s horrors unfolded, even showcasing an original autopsy table still on display.

6 Hawthorne Hotel

Established in 1925, the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, Massachusetts, proudly wears its Historic Hotels of America badge and has welcomed over a million guests since opening. Its inaugural celebration featured a grand parade on July 23, 1925, and over the decades the hotel has hosted a 1960s dance school and even served as a filming location for the TV series “Bewitched’s Salem Saga.” In 1990, a séance was held in hopes of summoning the spirit of Harry Houdini.

Before the hotel rose, an apple orchard occupied the site, owned by Bridget Bishop—one of the first women executed during the Salem Witch Trials. Today, patrons often detect a faint apple scent drifting through the corridors. Ghostly sea captains have been encountered, and Room 612 is said to be haunted by a woman hovering at the doorway, while Room 325 experiences taps turning on and off on their own, accompanied by the faint cries of a phantom baby.

10 Creepy Tales About Clowns

5 Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast

The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast in Massachusetts is perhaps the most infamous entry on our list, notorious for the 1892 axe murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. Though Lizzie was not initially a suspect, investigators eventually focused on her after a fruitless police search, noting that she had attempted to purchase prussic acid before the killings and burned a dress shortly thereafter—suggesting she might have committed the murders while unclothed.

After a 14‑day trial, Lizzie was acquitted on June 19, 1893, leaving the true perpetrator’s identity shrouded in mystery. This lingering enigma draws tourists from around the globe, many of whom are intrigued by the prospect of a wedding set against such a dark backdrop.

Guests have reported ghostly encounters: Abby’s spirit is said to emit occasional screams, while Andrew’s apparition calmly wanders the premises, attending to his usual business. For couples seeking a truly unsettling setting, the B&B offers an unforgettable, if eerie, experience.

4 The Moors Castle

Located in Muldersdrift, Gauteng, South Africa, the Moors Castle sits within the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, perched beside the Crocodile River. The venue is entirely off‑grid, powered by solar panels, with water drawn from a borehole and rainwater harvested and filtered for use.

The castle boasts an outdoor amphitheatre and provides comprehensive wedding packages, alongside conference facilities and live entertainment. Its sustainable design and striking architecture make it a coveted destination for eco‑conscious couples.

Yet the surrounding woods conceal a darker legend. Paranormal investigators who ventured into the area reported a Victorian‑era woman in a black dress drifting through the forest, accompanied by distant screams from the nearby river. Local folklore also speaks of a “serpent lady” who once appeared in the river during ancient healing rituals, adding an extra layer of mystique to the venue.

3 Death Valley

In Eastern California’s scorching expanse lies Death Valley, home to the famed Oasis outdoor wedding venue—a historic inn adorned with luxurious finishes, ideal for couples seeking a desert backdrop. The surrounding national park, framed by towering mountain ranges, offers breathtaking vistas for ceremony and reception alike.

The valley’s history is peppered with paranormal lore. Abandoned ghost towns dot the landscape, and legends tell of miners’ restless spirits. One such phantom, the headless ghost of Joe Simpson, is said to roam the area, his gunshot echoing each year on the anniversary of his death.

The nearby Amargosa Opera House and Hotel adds to the eerie ambiance. Visitors have reported hearing children’s disembodied voices and witnessing objects soaring through the air. Inside the opera house, a spectral cat prowls the stage, while ghostly parties seem to continue indefinitely, reminiscent of classic haunted hotel tales.

Further afield, Scotty’s Castle—once the home of actor Walter Scott and his faithful dog—remains a hotspot for hauntings. Scott’s ghost is often seen seated by the fireplace, his dog occasionally brushing against guests’ legs. Some visitors report sudden panic attacks that dissipate once they exit the mansion, adding an unsettling yet fascinating twist to any wedding celebration.

2 Dracula’s Castle

Bran Castle, popularly known as Dracula’s Castle, perches in Transylvania and is linked to the infamous Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s iconic novel. The castle also served as the residence of Queen Marie of Romania, who cherished its tranquil setting. After her death, her heart was interred in the fireplace, and her lingering spirit is said to wander the gardens.

The castle now welcomes weddings, even offering ceremonies within its ancient dungeon. However, guests should note the lack of modern amenities such as running water and functional bathrooms. Legends speak of medieval spectres haunting the grounds, with reports of poltergeists, demonic possessions, and even the ghost of Vlad himself, perpetuating an eternal reign of terror.

1 Q Station

Perched on North Head in Sydney, Australia, Q Station (formerly a Quarantine Station) blends historic charm with chilling tales. The venue provides heritage halls with stunning harbour views, making it a picturesque location for nuptial celebrations.

From 1832 to 1984, Q Station functioned as a quarantine facility, housing passengers afflicted with ship‑borne diseases such as the Spanish flu, typhoid, small‑pox, and scarlet fever. Many patients never left alive, turning the site into a somber memorial of suffering.

Over the decades, the station has earned a reputation as one of Australia’s most haunted locales. Witnesses report a man in a fedora clasping a child’s hand, captured on camera within an old shower cubicle. Disembodied voices whisper, “Why are you here?” while shadowy figures are seen closing doors on their own. Some visitors experience nausea and claim to smell an unseen perfume drifting through the corridors.

Additional apparitions include a spectral mortician roaming the grounds and a nurse known as Matron patrolling the former hospital ward. These eerie encounters add a layer of supernatural intrigue to any ceremony held within these historic walls.

Most of us are quite happy to assume that people are people, cats are cats, and rocks are rocks. There is a clear difference between us, animals, and inanimate objects. But for some, the distinction is not so clear-cut.

Objectophilia—a romantic or sexual attraction to objects—covers many attitudes. At one extreme are people who believe that objects have will, intelligence, and feelings. Conversely, people accept that an object is just an object but love it anyway.

Some people might let love lead to its natural conclusion and marry the object they care for. In some cases, this might be an expression of true love. In many cases, the reason is simply publicity. We’ll look at both kinds here. Some people and institutions will officiate at a wedding between a person and the object of their desire. But these marriages are not legally recognized anywhere. But let’s get to it. Here are the top ten everyday objects people have married.

Related: 10 Cases Of Posthumous Marriage

10 Love Calls for Aaron Chervenak

When the artist and director, Aaron Chervenak, got married in the Little Vegas Chapel, he certainly looked the part. Formally dressed, he was every inch the elegant groom. His bride-to-be, however, was definitely going for a more minimalist look.

As the ceremony reached its climax, the officiant asked:

“Do you, Aaron, take this smartphone to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you also promise to love her, honor her, comfort and keep her, and be faithful to her?”

He did, and the two tied the knot. That the ceremony was not, and could never be, lawful didn’t seem to worry Aaron. Neither did the fact that most people don’t remain faithful to their smartphones for very long. Soon, their eyes wander, and they decide to upgrade, leaving the old phone languishing in a drawer.

Aaron’s point emphasized how important phones have become and how many of us can’t imagine life without them. The publicity didn’t do any harm either.

9 The Case for Rain Gordon

It’s not unusual to meet a partner in a local store, and Rain Gordon was in a hardware store when she met Gideon. This was in 2015; Rain was 24 and from Moscow, Russia. The relationship with Gideon went well, and five years after their first meeting, the two got married.

This is their story… Rain had been shopping for a prop for a photo shoot when she found the love of her life. Gideon was the prop—because Gideon is a briefcase.

Rain had always believed that objects have souls and, when very young, developed a crush on a new shopping center. She kept quiet about that affair but saw no reason why she shouldn’t be open about her love for Gideon. She is adamant that her relationships with real men have never been as satisfying as her relationship with her briefcase.

8 Pascale Snuggles Up

If you’re like me, you find it difficult to get up in the morning, and you might be tempted to prolong your relationship with your duvet. In Britain, February can be a miserable month, and many would like to spend it in bed rather than in the office. Pascale went one step further.

In a ceremony in Exeter, Pascale “married” her duvet. Anyone could attend as long as they wore bedroom clothes, and 120 guests turned up. Pascale, resplendent in slippers and pajamas, beamed happily as she tied the knot. Her long-term partner, Johnny, kept his thoughts to himself.

Pascale was happy to admit that her “marriage” was a gimmick, but she had a serious purpose. She wanted to draw attention to the problem of loneliness in modern society and chose a date just before Valentine’s Day to get maximum attention. She got it.

7 Ned Nefer Builds a Relationship

Ned Nefer met his wife’s head in 1986 and provided her with a body over the next few years. According to Ned, she instructed him on how to do it, and she has always been the driving force behind the relationship.

When Ned had finished assembling his wife Teagan, they married at a private ceremony in California. Ned, speaking for both of them, said:

“We weren’t legally married. But on the ocean, we took our vows; we said words to each other, and we’ve done our best to live by them.”

Teagan appreciates the open air, and Ned indulged her by taking her for a walk around rural New York in 2011. Teagan was in a wheelchair. Local police talked to him but refused to arrest him because he seemed harmless and happy.

6 No Barrier to Love

Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall” begins with the line:

“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall…”

Something perhaps, but someone does or did. “Did” because this is a tragic tale of loss. When Germany was divided into two countries, the democratic West and the communist East, Berlin sat in East Germany but was itself a divided city. To stop citizens from escaping from the communist sector into the democratic sectors, the East German authorities constructed a wall in 1961.

The Berlin Wall was a symbol of division, but for Eija-Riitta Berliner-Mauer, a Swedish woman in her mid-twenties, the Wall was an object of passion. Eija had fallen for the Wall when she was just seven years old, in the year that the Wall first saw the light of day. In 1979, as the Wall turned 18, she married it.

In the eighties, as the couple settled into married life, pressures were building that eventually saw the destruction of the Soviet system. An unwitting victim was the Wall; the authorities tore it down in 1989.

The young widow turned her attention to railroad tracks, bridges, and fences, but nothing could replace the Wall. Eija died in 2015, no doubt still heartbroken.

5 The Right Fit

Noorul Mahjabeen Hassan prefers that people call her Fractal Database. She was a math student at the University of Florida when she decided to marry her Tetris game. Fractal was no wide-eyed innocent when she fell head over heels for her Tetris.

Fractal had a string of relationships behind her. One of the most serious had been with Pierre, a calculator she saw and ran her fingers over daily. But even with Pierre in her pocket, Fractal felt attracted to others. She is also very keen on IKEA, iPods, GPS systems, and Google Cloud. (I’m not sure that Google Cloud should count as it’s not an object).

One can only hope that Tetris is not the jealous type.

4 Deep-Rooted Love

Tim didn’t get around much and didn’t meet many people. Anyone who wanted to see him had to go to him—he wasn’t going anywhere. Tim lacked experience in the modern world, but you couldn’t describe him as naive or innocent because Tim was a poplar tree.

But, one day in 2015, Tim did meet somebody. Thirty-one-year-old Emma McCabe came across him and fell in love. Emma had had several bad relationships with men and decided she much preferred Tim, the tree’s company.

McCabe was to describe their amorous relationship as the best sex she ever had and that she loved the feeling of skin-to-bark contact. Tim didn’t give his opinion.

3 Tower of Power

The United States Air Force dismissed Erika Eiffel because she had a personality disorder. One indication of this was that while attending the Air Force Academy, she fell in love with an F-15 fighter jet.

A talented archer, Eiffel credited her success in her sport to the relationship that she had with her favorite bow. It’s fitting that Cupid had her in his sights when she first saw the Eiffel Tower in 2004. She fell in love and married the tower in 2007. The tower is over 130 years old, but the difference in their ages doesn’t seem to have hindered their partnership. Speaking for both of them, Erika says that they reciprocate each other’s feelings.

The French jealously guard their rich cultural heritage but haven’t commented on the Eiffel Tower’s marital status.

Ms. Eiffel is the founder of Objectum Sexuality International, an organization that brings together people who are fond of objects.

2 Off the Shelf

When she was seven, Maria Yoon moved to the United States with her family from her native South Korea. Her family seems to have held traditional values because, when she was still unmarried at thirty, her father suggested that it was about time that she found a husband.

Maria is a performance artist and decided that she could turn matrimony into a work of art.

Over nine years, Maria married in all the states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and the United States Virgin Islands. She married 36 men and two women and made up the numbers by marrying a few objects, including an entire ghost town, a lobster trap, and the Liberty Bell. Her movie about her adventures has received critical acclaim.

Apparently, she aimed to raise questions about the institution of marriage. I imagine that her dad wishes that he’d never said anything.

1 All the Fun of the Fair

When Amy Wolfe added her partner’s surname Weber to her own, it showed her deep commitment to her marriage. Weber was the roller coaster manufacturer that Amy had fallen in love with.

She didn’t take the relationship lightly; she first fell in love with 1001 Nacht when she was 13 but still had to ride it 3000 times before she was sure she was doing the right thing. That the roller coaster was in Pennsylvania and she was in New York was no obstacle to the romance.

Amy’s previous affairs with model spaceships, the Twin Towers, and a banister didn’t cause her or her fairground ride any difficulties either.

Because Amy’s beau is static, she carries around some spare nuts and bolts from him to always keep him close.

It’s surprising how often the relationship between protégé and mentor turns into a romance and even more surprising when a marriage is the result. Throughout history, people from a wide range of professions have eventually wed their mentors, but it is especially common in the arts. While some of these unions thrive, others become unhealthy and do not survive. From Rudolph Valentino to Celine Dion, here are 10 famous people who married their mentors.

Related: 10 True Stories Of Love Found In Totally Unexpected Ways

10 Mary Shelley

Because of her classic novel Frankenstein (1818), Mary Shelley is just as prominent a figure today as her spouse, poet Percy Shelley. However, when the couple was first married, he was already an accomplished author/poet with a strong following. Mary later credited her husband for the substantial guidance he provided during the writing of what turned out to be her masterpiece.

Frankenstein started out as a short story that Mary penned while she and Percy were on holiday together in Geneva with other luminaries such as Lord Byron. The tale was Mary’s offering in a game among the friends to write ghost stories. Percy encouraged Mary to publish the story as a full novel.

The Shelleys went through some very dark times, experiencing numerous tragedies together, but they influenced one another’s work. After Percy’s death in 1822, Mary continued to write but also focused on bringing more attention to Percy’s writing.^[1]

9 Rudolph Valentino

Considering how well he played the macho, alpha male in films like The Sheik and Blood and Sand, it is somewhat surprising to learn that legendary silent film heartthrob Rudolph Valentino was guided a large extent, by one special woman in his life—second wife, Natacha Rambova (1923–1925). The very creative and multi-talented Rambova was something of a chameleon, starting out as a ballet dancer before reinventing herself as a set and costume designer, set designer, and occasional actress in early Hollywood, later entering the field of Egyptology.

Rambova became Valentino’s manager and took charge of his career, including the look of his films and negotiations of his contracts. Along with screenwriter/MGM exec June Mathis, “Rambova is credited with transforming the actor into Hollywood’s first great screen idol.” According to Rambova’s biographer Michael Morris, it was “the only time in Hollywood history that a woman fashioned a male star to an image of her imagination and shared that image with millions.”

A very original and career-driven woman, she was ahead of her time both personally and artistically. A successful designer by the time she met Valentino, Rambova’s visionary artistic style is even more appreciated today. But while many praise her for helping to create Valentino’s popular persona, she was also blamed at the time for the failure of three of his films. The contract he later signed with United Artists forbade Rambova from being involved in his movies. However, some historians believe she was unfairly maligned due to studio politics.^[2]

8 Marie-Anne Lavoisier

When 13-year-old Marie-Anne Paulze married the 28-year-old pioneering scientist Antoine Lavoisier in France in 1771, it was actually to escape the prospect of marriage to another, much older man. Although this was an arranged union, the aristocratic French couple accomplished an enormous amount together, revolutionizing the world of chemistry.

Often considered the father of modern chemistry, Antoine established the law of conservation of mass, determined that combustion and respiration are caused by chemical reactions with what he named “oxygen,” and, with Marie-Anne’s help, created the new system for naming chemical substances. After Marie-Anne became interested in Antoine’s research, she started aiding him in the laboratory as both his assistant and companion. She turned out to be very valuable in this role, translating chemical works into English and using her artistic skills to sketch lab research and do engravings of apparatus that would appear in publications. She also worked hard outside the laboratory to promote Antoine’s theories.

Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier started out as a young girl exploring and learning about the work of her brilliant husband but became a true collaborator in his scientific breakthroughs.^[3]

7 Celine Dion

One of the most famous mentorship-protégé romances in show business was the relationship between French-Canadian singer Celine Dion and her star-maker manager Rene Angelil. One of the most surprising things about this story is that Dion was just 12 years old when she first met the 38-year-old Angelil and became his client. While the relationship did not become romantic until Dion was 19 years old, there was an emotional beginning. Angelil cried the first time he heard her sing and “mortgaged his house to finance her first album.”

After a three-year engagement, Dion and Angelil married in 1994 and would eventually have three children. The two proved to be a winning team, both personally and professionally. With Angelil as her manager, Dion soon became hugely successful with many hit songs, including “My Heart Will Go On,” “The Power of Love,” and “Because You Loved Me.” He also created her enormously popular Las Vegas residency show. In 2013, more than 30 years after the launch of her career, Dion’s album Loved Me Back to Life rose to #2 on the Billboard Top 200.

In January 2016, Angelil passed away following his battle with cancer and was widely mourned. As Dion’s website stated: “Never before had a man in the shadows held such an important place in the hearts of the people.”^[4]

6 Frida Kahlo

When renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was still an art student, she sought out accomplished artist Diego Rivera for advice on her career. The meeting turned out to be fateful in more ways than one. Despite the fact that Rivera was married to someone else at the time, he and Kahlo began a passionate and very stormy romance leading to marriage in 1929, divorce 10 years later, and remarriage just one year later.

Like most of these couples, there was mutual influence on each other’s work over the years. The extent of Rivera’s impact on Kahlo’s creative process is obvious from Kahlo’s self-portrait Diego on My Mind, in which he appears as her third eye.^[5]

5 Terri Irwin

When Terri Irwin met her future husband, Steve Irwin, well remembered as the “Crocodile Hunter,” she was already used to working with wild animals, having started a rehabilitation & education center for predatory animals in Oregon. However, her initial encounter with the gregarious Steve Irwin in 1991, while attending his croc show at the Australia Zoo, would lead to exciting and challenging new horizons for Terri. The two hit it off immediately and married the following year.

Terri worked closely with Steve, such as starring alongside him in the popular Crocodile Hunter TV series, which also featured their children Bindi and Robert.

When Steve tragically died at the age of 44 after being attacked by a stingray, Terri worked hard to carry on her husband’s legacy. Not only did she take over Steve’s crocodile show at the Australia Zoo, but she moved forward with his plans to greatly expand the size of the zoo, fundraising for endangered wildlife and taking charge of vast nature reserves.^[6]

4 Robert Browning

It could be argued that the poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning were each other’s mentors since the couple influenced one another’s work. However, during their lifetimes, Elizabeth Barrett Browning was the more prominent of the two. She was a celebrity while Browning was still a struggling poet, incurring harsh criticism. It was the bad critical reception of his book Dramatic Lyrics (1842) that led to their first encounter. While most critics rejected the work, Elizabeth Barrett defended it. Browning wrote to thank her for her praise and asked to meet her.

Robert Browning was a big fan of Elizabeth’s poetry, lavishing compliments on her in letters. The two corresponded for many months, discussing poetry and later more personal subjects, before finally meeting and falling in love. Elizabeth had weak lungs and was living as an invalid with her large core family in their mansion at the time. Her father was a tyrannical man who was adamantly against the idea of marriage for any of his children. The couple eloped in 1846 and moved to Italy, where Barrett’s health improved, and she did some of her best writing. She gave birth to their son at the age of 43. After their marriage, the Brownings continued to significantly influence one another’s work and enjoyed 15 years together before Elizabeth’s death in 1861.^[7]

3 Maria Callas

One of the most acclaimed operatic divas of all time, the legendary Maria Callas had a number of teachers and mentors as an up-and-coming singer. However, the one individual who seemed to have the biggest commercial impact on her career was Callas’s husband/manager, Giovanni Battista Meneghini. The much older Italian businessman and enthusiastic opera patron met the 23-year-old Greek-American Callas in 1947 when she was a little-known artist newly arrived in Verona for a performance. He instantly began to guide her career, something that would continue throughout their subsequent marriage in 1949.

Meneghini pushed Callas to achieve as much as possible, picking up where her controlling and eventually estranged mother left off. He was also responsible, to some extent, for her transformation from a dowdy-looking young woman to the fashionable, glamorous icon we remember. The dramatic mezzo-soprano rose to the top during these years, thrilling audiences and critics alike with her performances in such operas as Norma and Tosca. However, Meneghini has also been criticized for the way he managed Callas’s career, particularly the way he negotiated her contracts after she became a star, and for stealing so much of her money.

In the late 1950s, Callas split from Meneghini when she became involved with the famously wealthy Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, also married at the time. She performed very little during this period, and many felt that her extraordinary voice had started to decline. By1968, she had lost Onassis, who married former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy that year.^[8]

2 Bo Derek

Like a number of other young, aspiring actors, Bo Derek would end up married to the impresario who propelled her to stardom. However much this may sound like a fairytale, there was plenty of scandal to go along with it. Actor/filmmaker John Derek was a 47-year-old married man when he met 16-year-old Bo (born Mary Cathleen Collins), casting her in a project called Fantasies. They became romantically involved when Bo was just 17.

John escaped arrest for statutory rape by moving to Germany with Bo until she was 18 years old, and the two married in 1976. Bo had a lot in common with two of John’s former wives, Linda Evans and Ursula Andress. All three were exceptionally beautiful, sexy blonde actresses who John had mentored. Although Bo’s acting was frequently panned by critics, she soon achieved stardom with movies like 10, co-starring Dudley Moore, and films helmed by John, including Tarzan the Ape Man.

After the death of her husband in 1998, Bo became involved with actor John Corbett from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, whom she married in 2020.^[9]

1 Katharine McPhee

Considering the long and impressive career of music producer/songwriter/musician David Foster, it’s natural to assume that he has been a mentor to popular singer/songwriter/actress Katharine McPhee, whom he married in 2019 after many years of friendship. Not only did Foster actually serve as McPhee’s mentor when she was a contestant on American Idol in 2006, but he produced her very first single when she was just 21 years old. Among all the glowing things she has said about her husband, McPhee has called him her “motivator” and talked about how he “inspires” her and how much she has always “admired” him.

The 35-year age difference between the two is something that has been given a lot of attention by the media. Reflecting on this topic, Foster told People magazine: “There’s so many things that can bring a marriage down, and age difference is just one of them… We think we have it pretty together.”

With four ex-wives, Foster is obviously knowledgeable on the subject of marital pitfalls. McPhee was also previously married. She and actor Nick Cokas called it quits after six years of marriage.

During the pandemic, McPhee and Foster collaborated on a series of Youtube videos adorably called “The Kat and Dave Show” and have also performed together in concert, with McPhee appearing as a guest star at some of Foster’s gigs. Now that McPhee and Foster have a child together—son Rennie, born in February 2021—Foster may be able to mentor McPhee, a first-time mom, since he already has five grown daughters.^[10]