Teen bride's court battle: 'Why I married at 17'

1 ANSWERS

1. Brett
   

   Lucinda Law made headlines when at 16 she got legal permission to marry.
   
   At first glance, the marriage of Lucinda Law to Glen Ramsay seems like any other charming, garden wedding.
   
   The bride looks radiant in her classic ivory satin dress and soft tulle veil, her bridesmaids are gorgeous in mauve, and the groom beams with delight as the party approaches the little pergola where the couple are to wed.
   
   But the 120 guests are actually watching a small slice of history. For Lucinda is the youngest woman to marry legally in NSW in the past 20 years, and had to seek permission from a court to walk down the aisle.
   
   Glen, 27, an IT expert, is truly Lucinda's first love. She met him when she was just 10 years old, when he joined Manifold Ministries, an independent Seventh Day Adventist church, where her father Greg is an elder.
   
   Their union has ignited some controversy, but now Lucinda tells Woman's Day exclusively why she felt so ready to marry so young.
   
   An only child, who has been home-schooled by her parents Greg and Lynelle, Lucinda describes how she met Glen when he joined their church.
   
   "Glen had been a part of the church and our family for quite some time and used to spend quite a bit of time at our house. At first I was just a little girl, but when I was about 15 my parents noticed that I missed Glen when he went away on missionary business.
   
   "My father — who has always been very good at protecting me from the wrong sort of boys — spoke to Glen and found out that he liked me a lot, but he had been holding back because he knew I was so young."
   
   The couple courted for two years, and did not take a life-long commitment lightly. "We had a discussion and our courtship began, though it was very strict," says Lucinda. "For the first year, Glen was working in New Zealand and for the second year, when he was back, we were chaperoned and never allowed to be alone together, because we believed in saving ourselves for marriage." It's true that Lucinda isn't your average 16-year-old schoolgirl. She wears no jewellery and even chose not to have a wedding ring, saying, "I don't need adornment to show that I belong to Greg, as I will always be at his side."
   
   She doesn't wear make-up, doesn't like modern music, and doesn't drink alcohol.
   
   But before she married Glen, Lucinda had to fulfil his criteria for a wife.
   
   "Before I entered a courtship or marriage, I told Lucinda I had three criteria: I wanted a woman who was a Godly Christian, who was a good cook, and good-looking," says Glen, quite seriously.

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