CBS Shows How to Get Married In Montana Without Being in Montana

What if I told you that you could be legally married in Montana... without actually getting married in Montana?

Turns out, that is a thing you can do!

Have You Ever Heard of Getting Married By Proxy?

Thanks to an old law that's been on the books since the days Montana became a territory, some people can actually get married in Montana by using stand-ins while they're somewhere else in the country.

CBS Sunday Morning explored the law, and talked to a few couples who have taken advantage of it.

The law has proven especially popular with members of the military - it allows a couple to get married while one or both of them are deployed, and then they can take advantage of the benefits marriage gives them, like a basic housing allowance or being able to access more information about where they are at a given time.

And the cool thing is, the ceremony does actually take place, just with two stand-ins acting as a proxy for the people getting married. As far as we know, Montana is the only state in the US that has a law like this.

Obviously, this sort of thing isn't going to apply to everybody, but for couples in certain situations, it's been a huge help. It was even more popular during the pandemic, as close to 2000 couples were married last year just by one company that specializes in these proxy marriages.

Finally, an old weird law that's actually helping people! That never happens!