Universal
'Ted 2' - in cinemas this week - sees the return of John (Mark Wahlberg) and his lifelong friend, foul-tongued teddy bear Ted (voiced by Seth McFarlane).
The peril this time around finds Ted happily married and settled with Tami-Lynn, but unable to adopt a child. The problem? Apparently, he's not seen by the courts as "human".
Think this is unbelievable, even for a rom-com? Read on with these real-life tales of people finding love in the unlikeliest places...
The World's Oddest Marriages
A Dog(01 of10)
Briton Amanda Rogers flew all the way to Croatia to marry her dog Sheba. While she had been married previously, she claims that her dog has made her laugh and comforted her when she felt low, and that she couldn’t think of anything more she would need from her life partner.
A Rollercoaster(02 of10)
American Amy Weber, who has ‘objectum sexuality’ (an attraction to inanimate objects) married a gondola ride named ‘1001 Nachts’. Having ridden it over 3000 times in ten years, Amy even changed her surname to that of the manufacturer of the ride. A photo of the ride is above her bed, and she carries spare nuts and bolts from the ride wherever she goes in order to feel closer with her love.
A Barbie Doll(03 of10)
In 1999, a Taiwanese man married a Barbie doll in order to lay his wife’s spirit to rest, after she committed suicide in 1979 because her fiancée’s family did not approve of their marriage. The Barbie doll wore a wedding dress just like at any other ceremony, with the groom taking the bride home afterwards (along with an urn of his deceased partner) and carried both over the threshold.
The Berlin Wall(04 of10)
Eija-Riitta Berliner-Mauer originally coined the term Objectum Sexuality, and one of the first to speak publicly of her attraction. She was in a 29-year relationship and 10-year marriage with the Berlin Wall (her last name translates to Berlin Wall in German) before it was destroyed in 1989. She has not returned to the site since its falling, but keeps models in her home to remind her of her lost lover.
A Pillow(05 of10)
In 2008, Lee Jin-Gyu married his dakimakura. Meaning ‘Dutch Wife’ in English, this pillow, often printed with anime images, is used in bed as a hugging device when sleeping. Lee’s pillow wears the cover of his favourite character Fate Testarossa from the Anime series Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.
An Anime Character(06 of10)
A man who can only be identified as his online alias Sal9000 went one step further and married a video game character named Nene Anegasaki from the Nintendo DS game ‘Love Plus’. They married in 2009, with the ceremony being broadcast across the internet and witnessed in person by hundreds at a technology festival in Tokyo.
A Corpse(07 of10)
Tragedy struck when Chadil’s girlfriend of 10 years Sarinya was killed in a car accident. Although he had previously refused her proposals of marriage due to his work load, he married her corpse on the same day as her funeral on January 2012.
A Dolphin(08 of10)
Sharon Tendler met her dolphin husband Cindy when on holiday in 1991. Almost 15 years and several visits per year later, the pair wed in a ceremony in Cindy’s home country of Israel. The ceremony even had Best Dolphins and an exchange of a kiss and a herring. Unfortunately, Cindy died a year later of ill health and old age.
The Eiffel Tower(09 of10)
After a three-year relationship, Erkia Eiffel married the Eiffel Tower in 2007. Possibly one of the most famous people to marry an inanimate object, she runs an online forum for people who feel the same attraction as her. She claims to feel emotional attachment to the Parisian landmark, but not sexual, and does not get jealous that millions of tourists get to visit her partner every day.
Himself(10 of10)
Self-professed narcissist Liu married a life-sized cardboard cut-out of himself wearing a red bridal gown in 2007 in front of 100 guests. He claims that his definition of marriage is different to others, and that his marriage made him feel like a whole person again. The wedding followed all of the regular Chinese traditions, such as toasts and cake-cutting.
'Ted 2' is in UK cinemas today. Watch the trailer below...