Marriage is a significant step for anyone, but for conjoined twins, it presents unique challenges.
Recently, there have been several reports of conjoined twins getting married. Abby Hensel recently announced her marriage, with her conjoined sister Brittany standing by her side.
In another happy announcement, Carmen Andrade, an influencer who shares insights about her life as a conjoined twin, revealed that she married her long-time boyfriend, Daniel McCormack, in a private ceremony.
The couple wed in Connecticut in an intimate setting.
“We eloped in October with our families,” Carmen shared with TODAY on July 10.
Their small ceremony took place on Lover’s Leap Bridge over the Housatonic River in New Milford, with Carmen’s conjoined twin sister, Lupita, present.
Carmen chose to break with tradition, wearing an emerald green dress with sequins for her wedding day and expressed no regrets about her choice.
“I did not wear white,” Carmen explained. “Don’t regret it. I don’t like white. That’s not my thing.”
Daniel McCormack, 28, complemented her outfit with a dark suit, emerald green bow tie, and a sunflower boutonniere, matching Carmen’s floral bouquet.
The announcement of their marriage surprised many, as the couple had kept it under wraps.
“We should probably also address something else pretty big,” Carmen mentioned in a YouTube video. “I did get married.”
She showed her wedding ring, while Lupita added: “I did not.”
Carmen clarified that her husband married only her, not her sister.
Daniel appeared in the video to explain that the wedding took place seven months prior, attended by family only, as he prefers to avoid large gatherings.
Carmen, who experiences social anxiety, was relieved to have a small ceremony rather than a big wedding.
Lupita, who identifies as asexual and aromantic, is not interested in marriage.
She expressed in the video: “I don’t want to get married,” adding simply, “because, I don’t want to.”
The twins have previously discussed their conjoined status, mentioning that many people are unfamiliar with conjoined twins. They explained they are connected at the torso and share a pelvis, but have separate hearts and do not share a brain.
They noted that while certain body systems are shared, they experience physical sensations independently on their own sides.
When it comes to dating, Carmen and Lupita have different experiences. Carmen met her husband on the dating app Hinge and felt it was awkward to share her status as a conjoined twin on her profile.
“I was obviously going to be transparent about everything,” Carmen stated. “It was a learning process for everybody. We obviously had to have a discussion on what boundaries are OK and what aren’t.”
Carmen indicated that their relationship does not include sexual intimacy due to her conjoined status, and Daniel is accepting of this.
“We’re not intimate in that way, and he’s OK with that,” she explained.
Asked whether Lupita served as a good wingwoman, Carmen admitted she did not, with Lupita stating: “I make fun of both of them.”
Carmen knew Daniel was special right from the start.
“I knew right off the bat that Daniel was different from the others, because he didn’t lead with a question about my condition,” she told TODAY. “I have social anxiety, and I’ve ended up canceling dates at the last minute, but I felt calm on the way there.”