Romanian brides in white wedding dresses to be fined if they are not virgins

New York Post (Weird But True) ^ | December 10, 2006 | BRIAN HAMACHER

[DogByte6RER]

A Romanian priest wants women to pay a "white-dress fine" if they're not virgins when they marry.

Father Petrica Bratu, 37, says he hopes the fines will stop couples from living in sin.

Couples who had just moved in together would pay about $20 but brides who were pregnant or had children would pay about $120.

The average Romanian salary is about $200 per month.

[DogByte6RER]

As punk rocker Billy Idol crooned...

"It's such a nice day for a white wedding"

Anyways...this could be a great policy in Las Vegas.

How many brides in Las Vegas wear white while getting hitched in the Elvis chapel or the drive-thru chapel for the umpteenth time?

[Grzegorz 246]

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[vetvetdoug]

This would be a good policy for the Democrats to endorse. They'd pay off the National Debt in about a week.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Well, that's one way to pay for the new cathedral.

Virginity is like bigfoot. Everyone knows the myth, but there are few indeed who have ever seen it. And even less proof that it exists.

Feminism and birth control have guaranteed that the myth will remain just that, a myth.

[Kimmers]

Doesn't Romania have bigger things to worry about other than virgin brides?

[ozzymandus]

Does this apply in the village of "Mud", where Borat shot part of his movie?

[Yaelle]

If you were a Romanian cop, how'd you like THAT job (testing for virgin brides)?

[martin_fierro]

Tramp.

[brothers4thID]

Whatever. White was the traditional color of mourning in many nations until the start of the 20th century.

[DogByte6RER]

My guess is that Romania is hard up to generate some extra revenues or the Church needs more donations. Anyways...the Romanians could make a small fortune by fining Dracula's brides...

[Thombo2]

Non-virgin brides charged more for wearing white?Talk about picky.A friend at work is getting married in Jan.Two priests(preachers?)contacted by his fiancee refused to perform the wedding when she told them they were living together.Go figure.

[rxgalfl]

Romanians are Christian Orthodox, a faith more traditional than the Catholic Church. My guess the priest is probably from a rural area or some off-road monastery away from "modern" world. The monks from those old monasteries, they way they dress and wear their hair, offer such a resemblance to the Orthodox rabbis but then considering the history of the Orthodox Christians, it comes to no surprise. Their rites are so similar to the Jewish ones, it's amazing.

[Christopher Lincoln]

Father Petrica Bratu, 37, says he hopes the fines will stop couples from living in sin.

What they will do, rather, is stop couples from marrying, at least in the church.

[ASOC]

I worked in rural Russia for a while.

I was trying to explain the whole virgin bride thing to my translator (yes, my Russian *is* execrable) -- he was fascinated, as he put it, by the stupidity of the whole issue.

"So, I should marry a poor and ugly girl because she is a virgin, and not marry a pretty and rich woman because she is not a virgin?" Put like that, it does seems a bit errr, hampering.

FWIW the translator, a real sharp fellow, was from St Petersburg - was a French, English and American language teacher. A fun time was had by all in trying to explain American slang vs Brit slang.

[gitmo]

So do they perform an inspection before the ceremony?

[mt tom]

application line for hymen inspector form on the right

[CottShop]

[Doesn't Romania have bigger things to worry about other than virgin brides?]

No absolutely not- what could be more important than this anyway? http://sacredscoop.com

[Kimmers]

Thanks for a great website....

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

Are you sure this Romanian Priest isn't the future Mother in law?

[Kirkwood]

What about off-white? Is that acceptable?