- Lismore court gives permission for Lucinda Law, 16, to marry Glen Ramsay, 26
- The Sunday Telegraph
- 14/12/2008 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 264 articles in 2008 )
SHE may only be 16, but her parents believe a NSW court was carrying out God's will when it granted permission for her to marry her 26-year-old boyfriend.
North Coast teen Lucinda Law and her beau, IT specialist Glen Ramsay, were last week given the green light to wed by Lismore magistrate Nicholas Reimer.
The pair began courting when Lucinda was just 14, but met seven years ago through her father Greg Law, an elder with a 25-member band of vegetarian "independent Christians" who call themselves Manifold Ministries.
Ms Law said the couple made an application to Lismore Court for approval for her to wed - the legal age for marriage is 18 - and it was granted within two weeks.
Both sets of parents gave the union their blessing.
"We got a court appointed lawyer and did all the paperwork," Ms Law said.
"The judge said he could only grant permission in extraordinary and unusual circumstances and he thought we were extraordinary and unusual."
The pair was told that they were only the second couple to be granted permission to wed in similar circumstances in 20 years of NSW court history.
"We had no idea it was so rare," Mr Ramsay said.
"We thought dozens, even hundreds of people might have gone before us so we were amazed that we were only the second."
Their love blossomed when Lucinda's father and Mr Ramsay worked together on an outreach program preaching against the "new world order".
"After Glen joined our church, he used to stay with my parents on weekends," the teenager said.
"I was always in the background cooking and we got to know each other that way. Then Glen went away to do missionary work in New Zealand and I realised I really, really missed him."
Mr Law said he saw how attached his daughter had become to Mr Ramsay and decided to be matchmaker.
"He rang me and said what do you think about Lucinda?," Mr Ramsay said.
"I hadn't thought about her in that way up to that point, but then I grew to realise that it might not be such a bad idea."
Though their love grew stronger, the couple's religious beliefs prohibited them from consummating their relationship and Mr Ramsay found himself thinking seriously about a marriage proposal.
In April this year he decided to pop the question.
"One night we were watching a documentary on TV, a documentary about cooking," Mr Ramsay said. "I'd been thinking about it for weeks and I just said 'maybe you should marry me'."
Ms Law said: "And I said is that a proposal? And he said 'yes'. And I fell over backwards and said 'of course I will'. I've never really been career minded, I've always wanted to just be a good wife.
"I don't know why he chose that moment to ask. Maybe it was something about the cooking documentary because we bonded over my food."
"She is an amazing cook and she makes an excellent vegan lasagne," Mr Ramsay said.
The two are due to marry in an outdoor garden ceremony at The House With No Steps in Alstonville, near Lismore, on February 8.
Asked what message they hoped to send to others, Ms Law said: "We just want to show others what God has done for us. If you are young and in a situation like us, try God's way because you will not be disappointed.
"We are so happy."
North Coast teen Lucinda Law and her beau, IT specialist Glen Ramsay, were last week given the green light to wed by Lismore magistrate Nicholas Reimer.
The pair began courting when Lucinda was just 14, but met seven years ago through her father Greg Law, an elder with a 25-member band of vegetarian "independent Christians" who call themselves Manifold Ministries.
Ms Law said the couple made an application to Lismore Court for approval for her to wed - the legal age for marriage is 18 - and it was granted within two weeks.
Both sets of parents gave the union their blessing.
"We got a court appointed lawyer and did all the paperwork," Ms Law said.
"The judge said he could only grant permission in extraordinary and unusual circumstances and he thought we were extraordinary and unusual."
The pair was told that they were only the second couple to be granted permission to wed in similar circumstances in 20 years of NSW court history.
"We had no idea it was so rare," Mr Ramsay said.
"We thought dozens, even hundreds of people might have gone before us so we were amazed that we were only the second."
Their love blossomed when Lucinda's father and Mr Ramsay worked together on an outreach program preaching against the "new world order".
"After Glen joined our church, he used to stay with my parents on weekends," the teenager said.
"I was always in the background cooking and we got to know each other that way. Then Glen went away to do missionary work in New Zealand and I realised I really, really missed him."
Mr Law said he saw how attached his daughter had become to Mr Ramsay and decided to be matchmaker.
"He rang me and said what do you think about Lucinda?," Mr Ramsay said.
"I hadn't thought about her in that way up to that point, but then I grew to realise that it might not be such a bad idea."
Though their love grew stronger, the couple's religious beliefs prohibited them from consummating their relationship and Mr Ramsay found himself thinking seriously about a marriage proposal.
In April this year he decided to pop the question.
"One night we were watching a documentary on TV, a documentary about cooking," Mr Ramsay said. "I'd been thinking about it for weeks and I just said 'maybe you should marry me'."
Ms Law said: "And I said is that a proposal? And he said 'yes'. And I fell over backwards and said 'of course I will'. I've never really been career minded, I've always wanted to just be a good wife.
"I don't know why he chose that moment to ask. Maybe it was something about the cooking documentary because we bonded over my food."
"She is an amazing cook and she makes an excellent vegan lasagne," Mr Ramsay said.
The two are due to marry in an outdoor garden ceremony at The House With No Steps in Alstonville, near Lismore, on February 8.
Asked what message they hoped to send to others, Ms Law said: "We just want to show others what God has done for us. If you are young and in a situation like us, try God's way because you will not be disappointed.
"We are so happy."
Source: https://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24794692-2,00.html
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