How to marry an inmate? Lifetime's 'Prison Brides' unlocks love behind bars with step-by-step guide
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: 'Prison Brides' a brand new Lifetime series is all set to air on Wednesday, January 10 at 9:30p/8:30c where seven women believe they found love in the most unexpected of places, the prison.
The rules to marry an inmate differ from prison to prison, but the most important thing is a 'Marriage Permission Request' to obtain authorization to marry the prisoner.
The inmates are required to obtain the Marriage Application Form and submit it to the prison authorities via Chaplain with all the details. The details involve sending the form to the bride in prison via mail and having to fill in the details on the witnesses and wedding officiant. The bride can mail the form to the officiant. The bride or the officiant mails the form to the Chaplain for review. The Chaplain then reviews the Marriage Application before sending it to the prison warden. Once the paperwork is done, one must wait for the reply.
If permission is granted the next step is to plan the wedding.
The most important part of the prison wedding is the officiant who can help people get married. Hiring a good officiant is important.
The wedding requires around two witnesses and they need to be over 18 years of age.
Finally, a marriage license is required, for instance, it can be procured from the Clerk of the Court of the state where the wedding will take place. The partner who's not in jail should pick it up and bring it to the prison on the day of the wedding.
Technically, both couples need to be present to get a marriage license but because one person is behind bars, it can be picked up by her partner.
There are some strict dress codes for prison weddings too. One is not allowed to wear jewelry. Only formal clothes are allowed for the partner who's not in jail. The dress should cover the shoulders and the neckline should cover the collarbone.
The bride (if not the prisoner) is allowed to wear white and usually a nice dress or pantsuit can be worn. The same rules apply to the witnesses and officiant. T-shirts with no slogans are allowed only.
Depending on the rules, the prison faculty may be granted time together after the ritual for a private visit. There are also no official photographers allowed for the wedding.
What is Lifetime's new series 'Prison Brides' all about?
'The Prison Bride' docuseries will feature seven women from around the world who believe they have fallen in love with the prisoners of American Prisons. The series will venture into how they will approach their soulmates in prison.
Most of them started as pen pals, these women fell hard and found themselves willing to risk anything for the love of their lives.
It will feature the women traveling from different countries to meet their prisoner fiances, husbands, or partners for the first time to sort out their lives together.
The couples will go through a lot of judgemental relatives and friends. This entire situation will leave the brides confused and uncertain whether their decision is right or not.
The cast is varied as it features seven women from different parts of the world and seven prisoners, Erin (a single mother from Australia) and Michael, Svea (a midwife from Germany) Joseph, Jessica and Craig, Emma (UK) and Curtis, Andreea (a university student in London), and Cage, Olivia (UK based dance teacher) and KJ, Gabby (German model) and Jamal.
Where can you watch 'Prison Brides'?
'Prison Brides', Lifetime's new show will premiere on Wednesday, January 10 at 9:30p/8:30c.
One can watch the full episodes of this unscripted series on Lifetime.
Lifetime is an American basic cable channel of A &E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company.
How is 'Lifetime' new docuseries 'Prison Brides' different from 'Prison Wives Club'?
Lifetime's new docu-series is about seven women from around the world who fall in love with prisoners in America. Most of them have never met each other. The uncertainty, the panic and the excitement of the women to get to see their lovers is the main highlight of the show. The women have crossed several barriers including making their parents understand and harsh judgment from relatives and friends. Surely, it is not easy for any parent to simply give away their daughters to prisoners.
Prison Wives Club, on the other hand, explores the lives of four women, from different backgrounds who are already married to men who are in prison. They have been serving in prison anywhere between ten years to life. This 2014 series portrayed the struggles and drama of being married to someone who is in prison. With an IMDb rating of 7.1/10, this show was well-perceived by the viewers.
Editor’s Note: This article previously displayed an incorrect cover image. The error has been corrected.
