Some gals long to find The One, but Maria Yoon is determined to find The 50.
Yes, 50 grooms. In 50 states. That's a whole lot of wedding cake.
It's all part of a multimedia project designed to bring attention to the social pressure and ostracism unmarried Korean and Korean American women have encountered throughout history. To Yoon, a New York-based performance artist, the idea of marrying strangers throughout the U.S. seemed as arbitrary as the age-old practice of arranged marriage in Korea - but a lot more fun. So far, Yoon has "married" in 27 states since 2002 and hopes to complete the project by 2010.
Dressed in traditional Korean wedding attire, Yoon, 37, calls herself Maria the Korean Bride. She travels by car or plane from city to city, situating volunteer grooms and officiants in unscripted wedding ceremonies that will eventually be showcased in a documentary. The grooms capture the diversity of America: a sea captain from Maine, a NASCAR fanatic from Indianapolis, a cowboy from Texas, a retiree from Florida, a surfer from California. (There have been some runaways, and in those cases, Yoon has wed whatever was nearby - in one instance, a T-shirt, in another, the Mississippi River.) There's no wedding party, no garter toss, no reception. The only guests are curious passersbys.
This summer, Yoon will take on Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas. KoreAm chatted with the blushing bride about her many, many trips down the aisle. 

What strikes you about the idea of marriage?
For many Korean American women, marriage has often meant choosing between families and following their hearts. I met plenty of Korean girls who married just to make their parents happy and now they're going through divorces.  
As a first-generation Korean American unmarried woman, I've endured a lot of pressure from my own parents to get married. When I was in my late-20s, I went through all kinds off arranged set-ups. But it wasn't in my blood to settle down. My parents wanted to see me happy, but they didn't realize that I was already happy.
How did you come up with the idea for the project? 
I wanted to photograph my guy friends proposing to me so I could show my parents that I wasn't a lonely, single, depressed woman living in New York City. I started with eight guys and the word spread. Eight became 20 and then 20 became 30 and then 30 became 50. It just blew up. I turned those photographs into a calendar, which was purchased by the Museum of Modern Art.
But then I started thinking, why should the guys have to propose? Women should propose, too. One day, my friend and I were watching a show in Las Vegas, La Cage, where all the transvestites transform into celebrities. When I saw the Diana Ross impersonator, my heart pounded. I said that's who I want to marry. So I met her and we connected, and we went to the Elvis Presley chapel. That was the beginning of it. I couldn't stop at Las Vegas. So I said fine, let's do it in all 50 states.   
How do you usually find your husbands?
Sometimes it's random. I'll go and find someone at a bar. Sometimes I'll find someone on Craigslist. I explain what I'm trying to do and then I'll ask them to marry me. Most of the time, they laugh and think I'm joking, but when they realize I'm not, they'll say yes. Maybe it's because I'm a girl and I travel alone, but it seems like so many people want to help me. They see that I believe in this project, so they believe in it, too.  
Do you legally marry these people?
I've tried that before, but it's too much trouble. Because then you have to get divorced.
What do you hope to learn from this project?
I ask people what their perspective is on marriage. The whole concept of marriage is changing. Now, there are same-sex marriages and civil unions. I want to really see what marriage is to different people. 
Which weddings have been most memorable?
Well, Las Vegas was fun. Oh, in New Orleans, I got married in a voodoo temple by a voodoo priestess.
Sounds elaborate. How do you make it all happen? 
Before I go to a state, I'll have a clear picture in my head of how I want the wedding to look. I'll research the state on the Internet and call up some churches and wedding officiants.   
I've gotten donations and grants, but most often, I've had to do everything out of my own pocket. I'll stay at a cheap motel and be my own wedding coordinator. I don't have a camera crew, so I'll ask someone standing around to do the filming. Also, I only do this for three weeks out of the year. The rest of the year, I give private tours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Have you encountered people who were against the project?
Yes. A reverend at a Unitarian church in New Hampshire called me and agreed to participate in project, but he wanted to have a meeting with me prior to the wedding. When I got there, he just started lecturing me, telling me that I was ruining the whole concept of marriage. I was really upset. Couldn't he just tell me that over the phone? I ended up officiating my own wedding. 
Who's your oldest husband?
That would have to be a man in Atlanta. He's an actor in his 60s, I think.
And youngest?
He was 20.
What does your family think of your project?
They were against it at first. One of my mom's friends asked her, "How can you let your daughter go around like this acting like a shaman?" She was hurt by that. My younger sister once asked me, "How could you disrespect Mom and Dad?" But I think little by little, my family is realizing that I'm not making fun of them. I respect them enough that I want to talk about this. It's not about cultural embarrassment. It's my way of embracing the culture that I love.
Have you ever wanted to date any of your husbands?
I consider my project as work, and I can't think of it as anything beyond work. I'll go have a drink after it's over but after that, I move on to the next state.
Do you think you'll ever get married legally?
Maybe when I'm like 55. I'm not against it. I wouldn't mind having a life partner to grow old with.