(16 Apr 2016) New Zealand on Saturday hosted the world's first Pastafarian wedding, conducted by the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
The group, which began in the US as a protest against religion encroaching into public schools, has gained legitimacy in New Zealand, where authorities recently decided it can officiate weddings.
The wedding rings were made of pasta, the ceremony was held on a pirate boat, and when it came time for the kiss, the bride and groom slurped up either end of a noodle until their lips met.
The guests came dressed as pirates, the groom, Toby Ricketts, vowed to always add salt before boiling his pasta, while bride Marianna Fenn donned a colander on her head.
The church claims that global warming is caused by pirates vanishing from the high seas, and that there is a beer volcano in heaven.
Ricketts, 35, a voiceover artist, and Fenn, 33, a lawyer and photographer, said they've been a couple for four years but decided just three weeks ago to get married, after another Pastafarian couple's plans to be first to wed fell through.
Ricketts said he found out about the church because he's been making a documentary about why religions don't pay taxes.
Fenn said she grew up on a small New Zealand island where people had alternative ideas about how to lead their lives.


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