In Dutch marriage by proxy is called 'Trouwen met de handschoen' (which literally translates as Marrying with the glove).
https://nl.wikipedia.org/...r%20adellijke%20personen."...Marrying with the glove is a marriage ceremony where one of the partners cannot be present and is replaced by a proxy. A more legal term is "proxy marriage".
In earlier times, marrying with the glove was mainly done among noble persons. An envoy was sent to the bride-to-be and he represented the groom-to-be through the glove. At the wedding ceremony, the glove was placed on the altar as a sign of the bridegroom's presence and consent.
The reason for this type of wedding was often the long travel time and the unsafe situation on the road, which risked delaying marriages, which were often concluded for political reasons...."In the '90s a Dutch comic had a small joke about it:
"Zo dadelijk kunt u luisteren naar: Wie weet waar Willem Wever woont, waarin ingegaan wordt op een vraag van een luisteraar uit Bennekom, die graag wil weten of trouwen met de handschoen ‘s winters vaker voorkomt dan ‘s zomers."
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"In a moment you can listen to: Who knows where Willem Wever lives, which addresses a question from a listener from Bennekom, who would like to know whether marriages with the glove are more common in winter than in summer.""
