A 35-year-old Frenchwoman became both bride and widow when she married her dead boyfriend, in an exchange of vows that required authorisation from the French president.
The ceremony was performed at Nice City Hall on the French Riviera.
The deceased groom, a former policeman identified as Eric, was not present at the ceremony. He was killed by a drunk driver in September 2002.
Demichel told LCI television she was fully aware that “it could seem shocking to marry someone who is dead”, but said that her fiance’s absence from her life had not dimmed her feelings for him.
According to French law, a marriage between a living person and a dead person can take place as long as preliminary civic formalities have been completed that show the couple had planned to marry. Before the ceremony can take place, it must be approved by the French president.