Three women and one man have entered into a polygamous marriage. The really odd thing about this marriage is the fact that two of the women are twins and the third woman is a cousin. The twins are Vicki and Valerie and they are married to Joe Darger. The cousin is Alina. The family practices fundamentalist Mormonism and they are from Salt Lake City, Utah. They all live together with their 24 children. Vicki was married for 22 years to Joe when her twin sister decided to join the family as Joe’s third wife in 2000.
“The fact that Joe was married to Vicki didn’t bother me at all. I took it as a sign he would be a good husband for me as well,” Vicki said. “As teenagers, Vicki and I liked some of the same guys. I thought it might even be good if we married the same man. I know that some people are uncomfortable at the thought of two sisters sharing a husband. But there’s a good chance if a husband is compatible with one sister, he’ll be well matched with another.”
Joe owns a construction company and he started dating Vicki and Alina at the same time. Joe married the two women at a joint ceremony in 1990.
“Even in our community joint courtships are rare,” Vicki said. “We knew we were taking on a huge challenge and responsibility. The accepted pattern in our culture is for a couple to prove themselves first in a monogamous marriage, before taking on the challenges of a second wife.”
Joe described the joint dates with Vicki and Alina: “Since Alina and Vicki were close friends and were interested in pursuing me together, the best thing I could do was to nurture that combined friendship. I was attracted to both girls and knew that individual relationships would develop in time.”
All three women have their own bedrooms and Joe goes to each bedroom at different times throughout the night. Valerie joined the relationship when she divorced her husband Donald, who was married to six women. Valerie was staying with the Darger’s one night with her five children. This is when she felt a spark with Joe.
“I noticed how they looked at each other. There was a spark, but I wasn’t jealous. I wanted her to join our family and have a happy marriage. In our culture it’s not uncommon for siblings to share husbands,” Vicki said.
Joe discussed his chemistry with Valerie: “I had a connection with Valerie, but the fact she was Vicki’s twin was weird – they both had the same mannerisms. But Vicki opened my mind to it.”
Valerie married Joe during a service at their home with Vicki and Alina standing with them. They all celebrated with a family meal. Joe and Valerie married in a service in their home, with Vicki and Alina standing beside them, and celebrated with a family meal.