When Adriana Lima married herself back in 2017, the collective internet rolled its eyes. But Alexandra Gill totally got it. Maybe that’s because Gill has been happily married to herself for the better part of 12 years—and she wouldn’t want it any other way.

　　Gill took the plunge without a partner on a whim. As she remembers it, one of her close friends loved to host elaborate parties that were mostly excuses just to get dolled up. The Vancouver-based food critic recalls one year when her friend, a corset maker with a closet of vintage wedding dresses, decided to up the ante and suggested they all wear one for a photo shoot in a local park. “Then someone else said, well, we’re all single so why don’t we just marry ourselves? It happened very organically,” says Gill.

　　And so eight female friends—who ranged in age from 25 to 50—decided to marry themselves in the park. The brides had their hair done, brought flowers and ordered a big cake. There were no wedding rings nor an officiant, but one friend, Tallulah (who goes by a single name), acted as the self-appointed Mistress of Ceremonies, calling up each bride one by one to recite her vows as her friends sat around her on the grass.

　　At first, Gill didn’t think she’d be married to herself forever. “Initially, I thought of it as making a commitment to yourself before you make a commitment to someone else,” she says. But over time, she came to see that particular commitment as the primary relationship in her life. “You’re the one constant,” she says. “Your parents will die, your children will grow up and your friends will move, but you’re always there. My commitment to myself simply means that I’m not waiting for someone else to fulfill me and there’s no other half I need to get on with my life.”

　　“I’m not looking for The One; I am The One.”Read more at:queenie bridesmaid | bridesmaid dresses cheap