rogue

Jodi always dreamt of a strong, silent husband. 10 years ago, she married a bridge.

 Jodi Diable always dreamed of a grand romance with someone devilishly handsome.

When she finally got married, her wedding day was everything she could have imagined.

She wore a 1930s style gown that made her feel like a Hollywood screen goddess. She felt spoilt to get her makeup done by a professional artist, and had beautiful flowers arranged by a florist friend to perfectly match the pink hue of her lips.

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Jodi on her wedding day. Image: Christian Schallert.

She was driven to the ceremony by her two best men in a kick ass vintage car. With butterflies in her stomach and tears in her eyes, she stepped out of the vehicle to the dulcet tones of Nick Cave's 'Into Your Arms' in the most stunning location, the tiny village of Céret in southern France.

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She recited her vows in front of 14 of her closest friends, filled with nerves and excitement.

But her husband couldn't respond.

Because Jodie got married to a bridge.

A 14th century stone structure called the Pont du Diable which translates to "Devil's Bridge", and yes, she did take her husband's name.

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Mr and Mrs Diable. Image: Christian Schallert.
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The happy couple have been married for 10 years.

While reminiscing about her wedding day in 2013, Jodi told Mamamia, "It was a really beautiful wedding, I had a very handsome husband and lovely friends, it was very very joyful."

Mr and Mrs Diable had matching rings fashioned by the town's blacksmith and were treated to the tunes of Johnny Cash's 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' at the conclusion of their ceremony.

It was the most perfect day.

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The Diables' wedding was attended by 14 of Jodi's friends. Image: Christian Schallert.
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But Jodi, 52, wants to make one thing clear: she isn't sexually attracted to her husband.

She doesn't have sexual feelings towards objects, like those with objectophilia do, but her love for her husband is very much real.

"I do actually love him. It was never a joke, there are elements of absurd but it is really not a joke. It’s a genuine love. I do love bridges. It’s not sexual, it’s creative," she told Mamamia.

You see Jodi's love affair with bridges has been a constant in her life for over a decade; so much so that when she told her friends she was marrying one they shrugged. "It seems like the natural progression for Jodi" was their reaction.

She's an artist and a musician and has travelled the world recording the sounds, groans and silences of more than 60 famous bridges. It's her livelihood and her passion.

"My love for bridges started quite a long time ago in art school in Sydney in the mid '90s when they were building the new Anzac Bridge. I was fascinated," she said.

"It had cables that looked like a heart. It was a moment of curiosity and I loved the sounds it made, it was divine."

"There’s a spirit in anything even in inanimate objects. This spirit comes alive with vibration," she told Mamamia.

For making music, Jodi has a favourite type of bridge.

"Suspension bridges and cable bridges make really great textures and sounds. It’s like a language. It’s meditative and very intimate," she described.

Jodi took Sunday Night along to meet her husband this year. Post continues after video.

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Video via Sunday Night.

But the bridge she chose for her husband, had a very different quality.

"One of the things that attracted me to him is he’s a stone bridge. He’s strong and silent," she told Mamamia.

"I thought I need to have something solid in my life, something with a little more stability," she said of her decision to settle down.

Jodi was in her 40s and had been holding out hope she'd meet a wonderful European (human) to sweep her off her feet.

But in her 12 years overseas she hadn't had any luck, and as she told Mamamia, she was sick of the message that's fed to women that marriage is the ultimate achievement in a woman's life.

Jodi's marriage was her choosing to celebrate and be happy with her life, sans man.

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Jodi couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Image: Christian Schallert.
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For the ever-transient and adventure seeking Jodi, her marriage was an important moment for her.

"It brought an end to a chapter [for me]. I have settled down. I needed to find some grounding, a partner is an anchor that you come home too and that feeling [in my marriage to Pont du Diable] is something I genuinely have," she explained.

Jodi has visited her husband a few times since their wedding 10 years ago, but admits she and her beloved don't need to spend a lot of time together.

"Long distance works for us," she said with a giggle.

She's also happy to make her marriage an open one.

"I haven’t written off the possibility of a human marriage," she admitted. "I will forever be a romantic."

Feature image: Supplied.