The marriage was legal because Las Vegas law states that as long as one parent or legal guardian consents, one can marry at the age of 16.
Stodden got that parental consent from her mom and dad, Alex and Krista Stodden.
FOX411.com talked to Krista Stodden, and she explained why she allowed her 16-year old daughter to marry her 51-year old manager.
FOX411: More Courtney Stodden Photos and Videos.
“We all needed a good man in our lives,” said Krista, adding the 35-year age gap does not faze her. “After a while you don’t look at the age. You look at the love they started to have towards each other. He became more than a number to us.”
Courtney, an aspiring actress, model and pop singer, met her husband when he began managing her career. Her parents welcomed Hutchinson, who is four years older than his new father-in-law, into their lives when he started dating their daughter.
“He was her manager, and then as we got to know him, we got to see what kind of person he was,” Krista said. “He just became a wonderful person in our eyes, and he’s a great Christian man.”
Courtney and Doug did not want to wait the two years until she turned 18 to marry. (Once you are 18, you do not need parental consent.)
“I think probably because the distance, they didn’t want to wait,” explained Krista. “They lived in different areas and, you know, they just wanted to be together and we supported her on that.”
Without that support, Courtney and Doug would not have been able to marry.
