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Proxy marriage is a wedding in which at least one of the lucky couple is absent, with a proxy filling in instead. It was fairly common amongst the nobility in the middle ages to engage in this practice. One intriguing instance that I have read is that between Philip II of Spain and Elizabeth of France, with the Duke of Alba acting as a proxy for the former. The process included a consummation in which Elizabeth and the Duke of Alba went to bed with one leg naked each and touched these legs against each other.

When and where did this practice originate? In the original case, what problem was it intended to solve? How long did it take for the practice to receive official or widespread recognition?

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That's not quite the "proxy consumation" process I pictured. Shame. :-) – T.E.D.♦ Jun 22 '12 at 13:52
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@T.E.D. in another contemporary (1600) wedding,that of Maria de Medici with Henri IV of France, the proxy wedding was celebrated in Florence. One of the canvases of Rubens' Maria de Medici cycle depicts the event. The proxy was Maria's uncle the Grand Duke Ferdinand of Tuscany and he dutifully put his (naked?) leg on top of his niece's leg to symbolically consume the union. I guess it was not practical for Henry to go all the way to Florence and the Medici were too proud ... – Alain Pannetier Jun 24 '12 at 17:14
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... to not mark such an event (the union of the only heir of the Medici dynasty which had given 3 popes and one queen of France already) with the lavish ceremonies they organised on the occasion. I can't answer the OP's question but it seems to me that the alliances between powerful, and inevitably geographically remote, dynasties would have entailed lengthy (and costly) travels and that was simply not practical especially in turbulent periods (another example is Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette). – Alain Pannetier Jun 24 '12 at 17:27

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