and Italy. On 4 April 1915 proxy marriage was legalised in France. Proxy marriage was common in the US, UK, Soviet Union and Nazi Germany during the Second World War, where obtaining leave to return home and marry was difficult or impossible. Kansas City, Kansas was known for its permissive proxy marriage laws; one lawyer in the city participated in 39 proxy weddings. In Italy between 1945 and 1976, 12,000 women were married by proxy to Italian Australian men; they would then travel to Australia to meet their new husbands. Today , various Internet sites offer to arrange proxy and double-proxy marriages for a fee, although the service can generally be set up by any lawyer in a jurisdiction that offers proxy marriage. Video conferencing allows couples to experience the ceremony together. A unique "space wedding" took place on August 10, 2003 when Ekaterina Dmitriev, an American citizen living in the U.S. state of Texas where the ceremony was performed, married Yuri Malenchenko, a cosmonaut, who was orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station, by proxy. Legality Gambia Proxy marriage is legal in The Gambia under sharia law. United States In the United States, proxy marriages are provided for in law or by customary practice in Texas, Colorado, Kansas, and Montana. Of these, Montana is the only state that allows double-proxy marriage. Proxy marriages cannot be solemnized in any other U.S. states. In 1924, a federal court recognized the proxy marriage of a resident of Portugal, where proxy marriages were recognized at the time, and a resident of Pennsylvania, where common-law marriages could be contracted at the time. The Portuguese woman was allowed to immigrate to the United States on account of the marriage, whereas she would have been inadmissible otherwise due to being illiterate. During the early 1900s, United States proxy marriages increased significantly when many Japanese picture brides arrived at Angel Island, California. Since the early 20th century, it has been most commonly used in the United States for marriages where one partner is a member of the military on active duty. In California, proxy marriage is only available to deployed military personnel. In Montana, a double-proxy marriage is available if at least one partner is either on active military duty or is a Montana resident. In the United states if a proxy marriage has been performed in a state that legally allows it many states will