A 38-year-old Liverpool woman celebrated her first wedding anniversary to a tree, as per a TNN report.??
Kate Cunningham 'tied the knot' with an elder tree in 2019 and changed her surname to 'Elder'. One year later, she said it was the best decision of her life and has no plans of 'divorcing¡¯ her partner. The tree is at Rimrose Valley Country Park in Sefton, Merseyside.?
Interestingly, Kate has a human boyfriend and two children of her own, apart from her tree husband. On the day of the anniversary, they were left at home while Kate celebrated her union with two friends and some elderflower chambers.?
However, she admits that her 15-year-old son is embarrassed about her ¡®marital¡¯ status.?
"I think getting married was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not once have I thought that I shouldn't have done it. It's something that I feel like happened at the right time. Despite causing a little bit of embarrassment for my 15-year-old, he sees the bigger picture now and understands what it's for,¡± said Kate.?
"It's something which has made me feel a bit more confident about myself. I don't care about what anyone else says. Marrying the tree has given me a new purpose," she added.?
Kate, who is a former teaching assistant, said that she visits the park to see the elder tree five times a week sometimes.?
She hoped that her marriage would attract a campaign to save Rimrose Valley Country park from being transformed into a bypass. Besides her campaign, local residents tried to stop the new bypass plan, which aims to ease traffic congestion through Rimrose Valley.?
She was apparently inspired to get married to the elder tree by female activists in Mexico, who reportedly held similar ceremonies to raise awareness of illegal logging.?
¡°As much as it's about this campaign, I'm thinking about the destruction all across the world. This world is quite beautiful and it can't all be doom and gloom,¡± said Kate.?
The 38-year-old has also called for an annual 'Marry A Tree Day' event and has encouraged more Brits to wed trees and shrubs?