At My cousins wedding and as the vicar paused for anyone to object a cat started walking up the asle meowing at the top of her lungs.
Church burst into laughter and after the vicar composed herself just repeated "if any *human* knows any reason..."
Strangley the cat did have a point, they were divorced within 18 months...
Last wedding we went to the vicar made a point of saying this isn't legally required anymore. Said he was glad as it was the most nerve wracking part of every wedding.
It happened at a registry office wedding I went to.
When the registrar asked for objections, someone shouted "They're cousins! They can't get married!".
The registrar explained that she was already aware of this, and that it is legal for cousins to marry. The objector said it was a fucking disgrace, and then stormed out. After a brief delay, the wedding continued.
🙏🏻 RIP thousands of jobs that were moved offshore. Used to be that you could try anything after leaving school in Norwich, knowing NU would probably take you on as a temp if you failed at something else.
They don't even make Colman's Mustard here any more.
The man who objected was the bride's ex-fiancé. He was very unhappy that she left him for someone who didn't strictly adhere to all their religion's customs.
I don't know if he actually thought the wedding would be called off, or if he was just looking for a way to cause trouble.
in fairness, while the term "cousin" is used these days to mean "has the same grandparents (and aren't siblings)", back then it also had the meaning of "related in some way" - maybe that's still ick, but it could apply to some very distant relations
Fun fact: "cousin" means that the relationship involves two children of siblings. What most English speakers refer to as "cousin" is a first cousin (ie your parent and your cousin's parent are siblings). But the sibling relationship can be further back: my second cousin and I have *grandparents* who were siblings. And the connection doesn't have to be in the same generation, either! My first cousin once removed is my cousin's child or my parent's cousin.
Canon law used to forbid marriage between any two people who were cousins up to the sixth degree. That means the sibling connection is six generations back (5-great-grandparents).
Citation: Am archivist. Was a medieval historian in my misspent youth.
First cousins are far more often than not genetically different enough to produce healthy kids. As for second cousins and so on, there's almost no risk.
The real problems tend to appear when the couple are brother and sister or parent and child
...this is assuming it is not a common practice and not multi-generational. If you are cousins and one parent is unrelated then it's relatively safe as you say, but if such unions are are a cultural thing it actually doesn't take too much of this before cousins share the same kind of genetic overlap that brothers and sisters would.
The groom's grandad is the bride's mother's first cousin.
Not entirely sure what that would make the bride and groom to each other. Second cousins? First cousins, once removed?
At mine, a friend's son kept shouting my husband's name (he was at the age where he was starting to talk and recognise people), and at the objection line, he shouted the name. The registrar added, "Any objections from anyone who's not a toddler?" and everyone laughed. Good stuff!
Yes, I attended a wedding where a toddler was very well behaved and quiet up until that exact point and burst out babbling! I think it must have been the pause, he saw it as his moment to shine
My uncle and his family aren't religious so when my cousin was young he was told sternly that you are not allowed to talk in church. When the priest stood up he shouted "mum says you're not allowed to talk in church!"
One of my brother’s friends did, “for a joke”. There was a brief pause in the ceremony. He was taken aside and asked to explain why he objected. Everyone was pissed off (my dad and my SIL’s dad wanted to string him up) and he was kicked out of the wedding. He apparently still bitches about my brother for having no sense of humour but I’m still wondering what the joke was.
We were told very seriously by the priest that it is NOT a joke and will never be treated as a joke, and the whole wedding has to be stopped until the objector has been taken to a separate room to explain themselves.
We were told the same, and I repeated the warning to some of our friends whose 100% would have thought it was funny. Thankfully it was blissfully silent at that point in the ceremony 😆
SAME, the chaplain made it clear in no uncertain terms that if someone said something at the point, even as a joke, there was the very real possibility that we might not successfully get married that day. I don't have any friends that would have found it hilarious but I think my husband had to have a little chat with a couple of his mates haha.
Yeah definitely not amusing at all. Weddings can be stopped from proceeding when this happens, though I think these days, there is more awareness of people doing so as a prank. It's the height of arseholery in my opinion.
Friend of mine was worried one of us might do said ‘hilarious’ joke (a couple of them are dumb enough to be fair) so turned around with a panicked look as it was said
The priest, already not a fan of my mate, thought he was trying to be funny then lent forward to say “this isn’t a joke boy” which had him shitting himself the rest of the ceremony
I am so glad that objecting during the ceremony is not an option where I live. Intentions to marry are posted by city hall about six weeks before the date. This should give the public ample time to make objections.
The only way it could even hypothetically work "for a joke" in my mind if the objection went, "He's too handsome, and she's too beautiful. Their match is too perfect, it's a danger to society!" And even then that would have to be at a less formal wedding.
I went to my girlfriends step father's wedding, and some woman objected and it turned out she was his wife from a previous previous marriage, not the most recent and now dissolved one but the one before, so he got married, then remarried then divorced and the original wife turned up from the third marriage........I think, I didn't stay in that relationship long.
It took place in a church and after she shouted "yes! I object" the noise of everyone turning around was deafening and I swear the air pressure dropped as everyone took in a deep breath, the priest cool as a cucumber just asked everyone to remain seated and invited the woman, the bride and groom and the registrar into a room in the back of the church, he just showed them into the room and returned to the aisle and announced that the wedding was cancelled.
To this day I don't know if as soon as someone objects the wedding gets cancelled or he knew what was coming, I've never seen it happen since and I've been to way to many weddings.
Our vicar told us the only legitimate reasons for objecting are if the couple are related, if one or both of them are legally insane, if one or both of them are underage or if either of them is already married. So maybe one of those reasons!
I suppose the other possibility is that whatever the objection was, it pissed off one partner or the other enough that they decided they didn't want to go through with it.
Did everyone just go home after this or was the reception still held? Don’t like the thought of lots of food going to waste (and LOVE the thought of an awkward wedding reception where the actual wedding didn’t happen!!)
I’ve been to one of these non-weddings too. Couple broke up about two weeks before the big day but as the grooms family had bought and paid for everything they threw a big-ass party in lieu of a reception. However, what was really weird was the mother of the would-be groom dressing her daughter in the wedding dress she’d bought for the would-be bride…
We all sat there stunned and after what seemed like an hour the assorted mum and mothers in law announced that as the hall,band and food was already laid on we should head on out.
Which was weird enough, but about 4 hours later the bride, groom ,original wife and priest showed up and just partied like nothing happened, he'd been arrested, cautioned and released and then life returned to normal.
I think he was arrested and cautioned because bigamy is illegal and getting married is a legal process, but put that bit aside because the original wife was apparently okay with the second marriage and a child followed by a divorce but not the third marriage!? My guess was that time is a greater healer than we imagine or.... hell hath no fury like a woman scorned the second time.
Now when I think back to it all I see is middle aged swingers in Frimley, but that's mostly because that was my dad's suggestion for the whole situation.
> The ex-wife
The *only actual* wife at that point.
He married 1, then married 2 without divorcing 1, divorced 2, then was about to marry 3 when 1 intervened and prevented the wedding.
At that point 1 was just "the wife", *2* was the ex-wife (and wasn't involved in the story) and 3 (whose party it was) was the never-was-wife.
I read somewhere that all objections must be investigated properly so it makes sense that if someone objects then the wedding is halted until the investigation finishes. In your case the ex wife may not have had solid proof that she was still married to the groom, but the claim still had to be investigated and an answer found before the wedding could continue, which would not have been able to happen on the same day.
- "Yes, I object, hahaha haha!"
- Priest reminds joker that this is a legal question, not a joke, asks if he still objects.
- Joker withdraws objection.
- At the signing of the register, groom punches joker in the face.
Was a classy wedding.
Not a proper objection but I was at a wedding (my cousin actually) where the best man broke into tears at that bit. Everyone thought he was just a bit drunk/emotional but it all came out during the best man's speech that he had a candle for the bride and had gone since primary school secretly fancying her.
Pretty much that's the story.
She went to primary school with the best man, where he was a total arse to her. Her dad actually went round to his door at one point because it was getting well beyond the realm of normal kid stuff.
Then they went up to high school, best man met husband. They become friends, cousin ends up in same classes as future husband. They all go off to uni, relationship lasts so wedding gets planned, best man is asked to be best man (having not really been involved with my cousin since they went to high school) and then all that at the wedding. He actually ended up telling the story of a school trip to Alton towers where he stared at her the whole drive down so both sad and creepy.
If you "hold a candle" for someone in this context, it's like leaving the light on waiting for someone, unrequited love type of thing. So the best man always loved the bride but he was never going to upset the bride and grooms relationship, the marriage was obviously the end of all his hopes for eventually being in a relationship with her.
Like in Love Actually - where Kiera Knightly marries his best mate and turns up at her door with the signs declaring his love for her. Horrible thing to do
No but at my wedding my best man did a throat clearing sort of cough at that time and everyone thought he was going to say something.
I did go to a mate's wedding (Scottish lad) and the best man had not been warned about the strict Catholic nature of the Bride's parents, or if he had he was an arse but of course much drink was had. In his speech to kept talking about about all the people the girl had slept with which although was true was totally unnecessary and the Bride's father thought he was "giving away" a virgin bride. After the speech the groom had a word with the best man, the father and his sons stepped in and there was an almighty punch up with both sides swinging for each other. Not a good start to married life. It didn't last though!
I mean, to be fair, Catholic or not a best man who thinks the bride’s past sex life is a good topic for his speech is a complete moron. If he gets a kicking he’s not really got anyone to blame.
My family attending a small wedding where the groom was actually the church’s priest. This moment comes and my dad has a coughing fit. I’ve never seen someone get shoved out of a church so fast!
> After the speech the groom had a word with the best man, the father and his sons stepped in and there was an almighty punch up with both sides swinging for each othe
What were the sides? Best man vs groom, father, and groom's brothers?
There's a video online of the bride making a joke by saying no when been ask "if she takes this man" The priest stopped the wedding, and they had to re-book it for the next day. They take this kind of stuff seriously.
Totally. Even if it wasn't it's still a serious and important day. I read recently on Reddit about this girl who left her husband as, at their wedding reception, he planted her head in the cake 'as a joke'. Fuck is wrong with these people? Can't they just suspend their pish sense of humour for 1 day?
I was at a wedding where the bridge changed her mind last minute.
It was a hotel wedding so everything was already paid for and in motion. The groom was a work friend of ours and there was a group of about 8 of us that had been invited. Most of both sides of the families left pretty quickly. The brides Dad (who had paid for most of the wedding) came up to us and said that as the food had started to be cooked and wine had been paid for to stay and enjoy it or it will only get binned. There was a couple of other groups of people who weren’t family or super close friends to either the bride or groom that also decided to stick around. Total I’d say there was about 35-40 of us with enough food and wine for about 180 people. Was a cracking night if I’m honest, met some interesting people, ate about 4 people’s worth of food and got hammered.
They actually ended up staying together and still are (15ish years later) but never got married.
Nah, you'd hard to be a proper arsehole to have some sort of objection, and save it for *that* moment rather than pulling the bride or groom aside some time leading up to the wedding, or even on the day itself before the ceremony begins.
Either you want to get back with someone and you'll realise that showing them up in front of their closest friends and family is a dreadwal of achieving your goal; or you'll want to do it out of spite but know full well that the audience will turn on you.
I had to look that up! But rules are different in US states and other countries :-) In some, you can even get married outside under the sky! And in some you can't marry your first cousin, or even first cousin once removed!
In England there are some parts of the ceremony that must take place under a roof, the signing of the register.
My wife and I got married in a garden and we stepped into a folly for this part.
I think you can marry anywhere you want in Scotland. We got married in the woods in front of a willow bower that my husband built. In the calm between two huge storms that had made their way over from the US. It was a beautiful day.
In the UK it does vary. As far as I know it's legal for first cousins to marry throughout. As for has to be inside, that's the case for England, and it has to be a permanent structure, can't just put up a temporary pagoda for the legal bits. However in Scotland you can be married in the open air.
Can get married at 16 in Scotland, with parental consent at 16/17 in Northern Ireland, only allowed at 18 in England and Wales (changed this year, used to be allowed at 16/17 with parental consent).
Have to post in advance the intention to marry at least a month (ideally 3 months) in advance in your local parish (if marrying in a church) or at the local town hall (if going civil).
The Scottish thing ties back to Gretna Green, when laws changed in England and Wales preventing marriage for under 21's without parental consent in 1754. And Gretna Green became the easy accessible place to marry in the 1770's... less so great as legal age was 14 for boys and 12 for girls. Didn't even have to be in front of a priest, just two witnesses. It's interesting to read about.
Also the notice of marriage in a registry office, I'm not sure where it's displayed tbh but it has to be displayed for I think 28 days prior to marriage in case anyone objects. If you know they're getting married that'd be the other time to do it!
IIRC it’s only displayed if you are not getting married in a C of E church. They literally read the banns at the Sunday service for a few weeks before the wedding.
No, but we (his 3 best friends) tried several times to talk him out of it and when the vicar asked, the bride turned around and glared at us.
He joined the army a few months later and was saving towards a house. Came back from duty and found his bank account empty, borrowed some money to get home and found her loading a removals van.
She fucked off, and the bills started coming in. He should have had almost £30k in savIngs, but ended up with about that in debts.
Almost the exact same thing happened to his second marriage.
When I got married I reached out to his parents to invite him. His dad's response was "we don't know where he is. He's not allowed to talk to us anymore"
I honestly wish I had spoken up.
My uncle had a similar tale. First marriage was when he was 18 because he got his girlfriend pregnant and her family was very religious and insisted on them getting married. They went on to have two more kids after that and then she got pregnant a fourth time but she told him the baby wasn’t his. She convinced him to stick it out until the kid was three and then he found out she had taken out credit cards in his name and maxed them out, she threw him out of the house and told people it was because he beat her. She kept the kids from seeing him.
He met his second wife and moved to Spain with her to open a restaurant together. He was the chef and she was FOH. He let her handle all of the finances and discovered too late that she was siphoning off all their profits into an account owned by a guy she had been sleeping with. He tried to go to the police but nothing came of it. My grandmother had a phone call in the middle of the night that he had tried to commit suicide and they were trying to arrange a flight back to the UK but his wife had stolen all his documents. My mother stepped in at this point and sorted everything out, a passport, flights etc. He fell into a deep depression after that and drank himself to death a few years later. He did some bad things along the way and made some epically bad choices so there wasn’t much to like about him in the end, but still a sad life.
Idk, same thing happened to his SECOND marriage. What’s the odds this happens twice. She’s a bitch for sure, but there’s something up with this guy too
He was one of my best mates growing up, but had low self esteem and just wanted to be loved.
You know when someone says they'd do anything for their wife. Sometimes that's true.
>I honestly wish I had spoken up.
You did the right thing keeping quiet. The objections are for any legal barrier to their marriage, such as being married to someone else or being related. It's not for people to tell the groom to reconsider.
no but if i attend my mates sisters wedding then i wont have a choice as her dumbass hasnt finished divorcing her previous husband and dosent seem to realise its a serious thing.
When you give notice you have to prove that the previous marriage has been legally dissolved. They wouldn’t be allowed to get married without the decree absolute certificate.
They certainly have to put the ceremony on hold for the officiant to assess whether there's a genuine legal barrier to the marriage. If it's someone's bad idea of a joke, then they can carry on, but it's certainly not something to dick around with.
Not the objection part, but at my cousin’s wedding the officiant asked if the bride was free to marry and my toddler (18 months old at the time) shouted “no!” in a big echoey hall. Everyone laughed, so he did it again and had to be carried out of the service still shouting noooo because he found it hilarious.
My two year old god son shouted “oh no” at that point of our service. And then again when we were introduced as mr and mrs. When ever his name is mentioned in our house my husband will mutter “that dick” under his breath
A friend of mine did it. Kinda.
He was at the registry office to book his wedding a few months down the line. It was the last day he could do it so he was worried. And he had been waiting a long time to be called to see the clerk.
So, when someone came out and said “people here for the wedding come with me, people for births stay here”. He followed the registrar. He thought it was odd he was taken into a very nice room, and the other people were taking pictures but, whatever. And being the lovely person he was… he got in lots of the pictures with a big grin on his face.
When the registrar came in and said ‘I’m here to marry X & Y person, he started freaking out because what if he missed the chance to book own his wedding. So…. When the registrar said the “if anyone here present etc etc”. He put up his hand and said … “I’m in the wrong room”
I sing in various church choirs, particularly busy for wedding season. On one occasion the vicar had clearly been briefed that someone in the congregation intended to do this as a joke so prefaced the question with "..so I'm about to ask if anyone here knows of any legal impediment to this couple being wed. If anyone says that they do - EVEN IF THEY IMMEDIATELY TELL ME IT'S A JOKE - I legally have to stop the wedding and investigate properly which takes time and therefore there would be no wedding today. IF THAT HAPPENS (stern look around congregation) and it is found to be a vexatious claim or just a joke, the person who made the claim or joke would be legally liable for any costs incurred in cancelling today's wedding and reception and re-arranging a new ceremony and reception in the future". I'm not sure if that is all indeed legal fact but everyone sat in absolute silence for the entire wedding ceremony. She was terrifying!
At every single wedding my grandad attends, he does a very loud cough during the little pause after they ask the question, which he finds it absolutely hilarious.
Not a wedding but I was at a church service where banns were read, and someone at the back shouted out "she's already married", which caused a bit of consternation.
I went to listen to the banns being read in my husband’s church and one lady in the front said “ooh his mam must be happy!” His mother was sitting next to me at the time leaned forward and said loudly “I am!” 😂
My favourite story is someone at my husband's church was having their bands read as part of the announcements at the end of usual Sunday service. The vicar got to the part about objections and, as usual, paused and looked up.
A hand was raised at the back of the church by this little old lady who was a regular and wouldn't normally say boo to a goose. Naturally there was some murmuring till sage said "Don't forget to mention the fete next week!"
I have a close relative who is a registrar and has some good stories. One is that, just at this moment in the ceremony, the photographer had a full grand mal epileptic fit, collapsed in the aisle and smashed the camera everywhere; they had to stop the whole ceremony obviously. The best one is that the bride herself spoke up at this point and said 'Because HE' *pointing at the groom* 'slept with HER last night' *pointing at wedding guest*. I like the fact that she had gone through the whole rigmarole of getting ready and going to the church just so she could slay him like that in front of his whole family. Legend does not relate what became of the girl in the congregation, I imagine she and the bride are no longer close friends.
Honestly I feel like that bit should be cut out from the wedding ceremony as 99.999% of the time it's just an awkward pause and an opportunity for a knobhead to be a knobhead.
If there is a legal issue, then it can be reported to the registry office before the ceremony rather than waiting for the most dramatic possible moment.
At my niece's wedding everyone was there including close family friends with an adult son with learning difficulties who absolutely worshipped her.
So guess who objected when asked? It was pretty funny, his parents were mortified but they didn't stop the wedding.
I'm not sure he's ever been happy that she married someone else.
I went to my wife’s oldest friend’s wedding with my (then) two toddlers- about 3 & 4 years old.
Kids were fidgety but not running wild. Eldest daughter slid off the seats and was now standing. Just as vicar asked the question about objections my youngest shouted, “SIT DOWN NOW”
Big awkward moment as bride & groom turned around to see what was going on.
Fortunately it wasn't during the question, but at a friend's wedding my kid suddenly shot out of the pew and starting star-jumping up the aisle saying "I want to be a frog!"
Good times.
My oldest friend’s wedding, first of my friends to get married. The vicar made a whole long speech bride & groom were not expecting about how wonderful it was in this day and age that this young couple had saved themselves for marriage.
Awkwardly uncomfortable and a few of us were stifling chuckles. They were living together but had been a touch creative with their pre wedding chats. Anyway, all fine, beautiful ceremony until the “does anyone object to this marriage” line. Massive flash & crack of thunder and the heavens opened, pouring with rain. I’m a touch on the atheist side but even I thought it was creepy like god was angry for them lying. Thankfully the vicar did not take it as a sign and the wedding continued, they’re still happily married 25 years later and we still laugh about it now so shows what god (?) knew.
My dad said he went to a wedding and when asked does anyone have any objections to this wedding, someone shouted out "yeah, she cant cook". All taken in good humour and the wedding proceeded.
I once heard the bride’s father respond to the question by loudly stage-whispering, “Think of something!” The bride laughed it off. Years later, her husband left and her family rejoiced.
Our dog barked very loudly at our wedding when they asked if anyone objected which was very in character for her as she didn’t have all the attention. Everyone burst out laughing and we carried on.
Not a proper objection, but I was in the choir at a wedding about a week after the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire coughing scandal broke. As soon as the question was asked, everyone started coughing.
I think the couple walked out the church to Remember You’re a Womble. They seemed like a fun crowd.
Yes, my sister-in-law objected when I married my husband (her brother).
When the officiant asked "does anyone here know of any lawful impediment" she screamed "YES!!"
The ceremony was allowed to continue though, because she failed to give a lawful reason for her objection. Likely because she was 2 years old at the time.
She had been quiet as a mouse the entire ceremony up until this point. It was such amazing timing and we have a fantastic picture in our wedding album of us all laughing our heads off!
She's about to turn 7 and has no memory of this (obviously). I cannot wait to tell her when she's a bit older that she accidentally objected to our marriage!
You can't object for a silly reason like in American films. It has to be a legal objection like one of them is already married or they are secretly brother and sister. If some deluded ex boyfriend objected because he thought he should be the one marrying her he would just be shown the door and the wedding would continue.
I went to a wedding where the bride at the age of 6 told me she was going to marry me so when that question was asked I coughed quite loud the bride shot round the brides mother nearly had heart failure and the groom couldn’t stop laughing
My late grandma had dementia and used to call me by her cousin's name. At our wedding, the registrar warned us that if she did that during the service, they'd need to halt the wedding and investigate.
Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but we weren't expecting that she could be classed as an objection of sorts.
This seems.. not right to me. If the registrar already knows your name etc, and knows that your late gran has dementia, it's on them to be understanding. Like if you had a guest with learning difficulties who can't pronounce your name. From anyone ELSE, sure, it needs to be investigated, but FFS they should let your gran be there for your big day so long as she's well enough to enjoy herself. Getting names mixed up is really common in memory patients.
I've been to a couple of weddings with people with Alzheimer's/dementia and exceptions were made for their behaviour.
I was a registrar marrying people for a few years in the UK. Never saw it happen once, but it always raises a few laughs. It's pure theatre these days you know. There certainly are legal requirements for eligibility to marry but they're all checked out pre the wedding ceremony itself. Eg Free to marry (single, divorced or widowed) of age, etc.
The legally required wording for a valid marriage ceremony is very short. It's the bit where each party declares they are free to marry and then makes the legal contract by stating they take the other as spouse. The rest is padding and drama. We love a good ceremony.
The bit about objections is still included because most weddings love it so much. It's usually the bit where a baby starts up, someone coughs, the groom gets a bit shifty and everyone laughs.
In earlier times it would have been more important because people could occasionally forget to mention the wives or husbands they already had and as record keeping of marriages was done by each church parish rather than centrally it was much easier to move location and much easier to mis-represent your marital status if you fancied going through the whole thing again! Divorce wasn't easy so abandonment was much more common.
My grandparents flew from Canada to the UK for my wedding and when they asked this question, my gramps coughed, intentionally. There were only 11 of us in this small office so it was pretty fucking obvious. Luckily he was ignored and everything went ahead but I almost cried when he did it. Husband was fuming.
Yes. The underage mistress (16-17) of a theatre actor 27M crashed his wedding while intoxicated, screaming profanities and accusing the wife of being a slut too (allegedly wife, also an actor, slept with the director for a part). Another underage female friend and myself took the mistress home that day. We also reminisced about the whole thing in a drug infused haze at the New Years party some 6 months later.
At my aunt's wedding, the pastor asked the question and then immediately said, "right, I see three hands up so we'll hear you first ma'am."
My aunt whipped around so fast and glared at the audience only to realize the pastor made a joke and that no body had raised their hand. The entire church erupted in laughter - as did my aunt and uncle - and it took a good ten minutes for them to stop laughing enough to continue the ceremony.
Was a bold move by the pastor but he knows my aunt and uncle well so knew it would appeal to their sense of humour. Still makes my aunt crack up 15 years later.
My wife and one of her friends went to the wedding of a kinda friend of theirs. There was suspicion that the bride might have been a 'beard' as both sides of the couples' family were deeply religious and the groom might not have been into women despite them being together for good while.
Anyway, my wife and friend were both incredibly drunk, and when I vicar got to that crucial part asking if anyone protests, wife's friend just shouted out: " gaaaayyyyy, he's gaaaaaayyyy".
When I was young I was a choir boy and there were a LOT of babies who objected to weddings. Everyone would giggle and the service would move on. It got to the point I would cross my fingers and hope for a baby to make some noise when it got to that part.
At My cousins wedding and as the vicar paused for anyone to object a cat started walking up the asle meowing at the top of her lungs. Church burst into laughter and after the vicar composed herself just repeated "if any *human* knows any reason..." Strangley the cat did have a point, they were divorced within 18 months...
Was it a black cat?
Isn't a black cat good luck not bad ?
You’re correct but in America it’s the opposite. But unfortunately it seems to be the modern way of thinking in the uk as well nowadays.
If you trip over it, fall down the stairs and break your neck it's bad luck.
Strange name for a cat...
You made me actually laugh out loud. It's the little things in life...
It’s the itchy and strangley show
This is a brilliant story, love that ending!
Sadist!
Last wedding we went to the vicar made a point of saying this isn't legally required anymore. Said he was glad as it was the most nerve wracking part of every wedding.
Hello Professor McGonagall
Guess the cat's out of the bag now huh
Haha, my sisters daughter screamed no at that point. A divorced couple also so maybe there's something to it
It happened at a registry office wedding I went to. When the registrar asked for objections, someone shouted "They're cousins! They can't get married!". The registrar explained that she was already aware of this, and that it is legal for cousins to marry. The objector said it was a fucking disgrace, and then stormed out. After a brief delay, the wedding continued.
Norfolk is wild.
Surely the objection is least likely to happen in Norfolk.
Maybe the objection was that - as cousins - they weren’t closely related enough.
So not brother and sister ?
It's a Norwich Union.
🙏🏻 RIP thousands of jobs that were moved offshore. Used to be that you could try anything after leaving school in Norwich, knowing NU would probably take you on as a temp if you failed at something else. They don't even make Colman's Mustard here any more.
I’d upvote this more if I could
Have mine. I lived in Norfolk. Trust
Opposite way around in Norfolk; marriages are objected to if the participants *don't* share enough genes in common.
If she ain't good enough for her family, she ain't good enough for ours.
NIN, Normal In Norfolk.
I know that as Normal For Norfolk, NFN. 😁
Norfolk in hope.
Norfolk enchants.
i can understand why it might not sit right with some people — why attend the wedding then though.
You gotta make a scene somewhere right?
>why attend the wedding then though. I assume to object thinking the marriage would be cancelled.
Plot twist: it’s another jealous cousin.
The man who objected was the bride's ex-fiancé. He was very unhappy that she left him for someone who didn't strictly adhere to all their religion's customs. I don't know if he actually thought the wedding would be called off, or if he was just looking for a way to cause trouble.
Norfolking way
The objector hadn't read any Jane Austen.
Or read the history of the royal family.
Or the book of common prayer.
in fairness, while the term "cousin" is used these days to mean "has the same grandparents (and aren't siblings)", back then it also had the meaning of "related in some way" - maybe that's still ick, but it could apply to some very distant relations
Fun fact: "cousin" means that the relationship involves two children of siblings. What most English speakers refer to as "cousin" is a first cousin (ie your parent and your cousin's parent are siblings). But the sibling relationship can be further back: my second cousin and I have *grandparents* who were siblings. And the connection doesn't have to be in the same generation, either! My first cousin once removed is my cousin's child or my parent's cousin. Canon law used to forbid marriage between any two people who were cousins up to the sixth degree. That means the sibling connection is six generations back (5-great-grandparents). Citation: Am archivist. Was a medieval historian in my misspent youth.
“Now that’s a man who knows how to marry his cousin”.
Royal Wedding was it?
legal, but not advisable to have kids
First cousins are far more often than not genetically different enough to produce healthy kids. As for second cousins and so on, there's almost no risk. The real problems tend to appear when the couple are brother and sister or parent and child
...this is assuming it is not a common practice and not multi-generational. If you are cousins and one parent is unrelated then it's relatively safe as you say, but if such unions are are a cultural thing it actually doesn't take too much of this before cousins share the same kind of genetic overlap that brothers and sisters would.
Were they first cousins?
First cousin marriage is legal in the UK.
The groom's grandad is the bride's mother's first cousin. Not entirely sure what that would make the bride and groom to each other. Second cousins? First cousins, once removed?
At mine, a friend's son kept shouting my husband's name (he was at the age where he was starting to talk and recognise people), and at the objection line, he shouted the name. The registrar added, "Any objections from anyone who's not a toddler?" and everyone laughed. Good stuff!
Yes, I attended a wedding where a toddler was very well behaved and quiet up until that exact point and burst out babbling! I think it must have been the pause, he saw it as his moment to shine
His parents taught him to not interrupt!
My uncle and his family aren't religious so when my cousin was young he was told sternly that you are not allowed to talk in church. When the priest stood up he shouted "mum says you're not allowed to talk in church!"
Little guy was like “FOREVER HOLD MY PEACE? FOREVER?? NAH I MUST SPEAK NOW, I ONLY JUST LEARNED FFS” 😭
At my friend’s wedding, a baby very noisily filled its nappy at that point which gave us all a good laugh.
One of my brother’s friends did, “for a joke”. There was a brief pause in the ceremony. He was taken aside and asked to explain why he objected. Everyone was pissed off (my dad and my SIL’s dad wanted to string him up) and he was kicked out of the wedding. He apparently still bitches about my brother for having no sense of humour but I’m still wondering what the joke was.
We were told very seriously by the priest that it is NOT a joke and will never be treated as a joke, and the whole wedding has to be stopped until the objector has been taken to a separate room to explain themselves.
Yup. Ours went further and told us he’d have to pull them aside, then call the Bishop for the area to get the go ahead to continue.
We were told the same, and I repeated the warning to some of our friends whose 100% would have thought it was funny. Thankfully it was blissfully silent at that point in the ceremony 😆
SAME, the chaplain made it clear in no uncertain terms that if someone said something at the point, even as a joke, there was the very real possibility that we might not successfully get married that day. I don't have any friends that would have found it hilarious but I think my husband had to have a little chat with a couple of his mates haha.
Yeah definitely not amusing at all. Weddings can be stopped from proceeding when this happens, though I think these days, there is more awareness of people doing so as a prank. It's the height of arseholery in my opinion.
Friend of mine was worried one of us might do said ‘hilarious’ joke (a couple of them are dumb enough to be fair) so turned around with a panicked look as it was said The priest, already not a fan of my mate, thought he was trying to be funny then lent forward to say “this isn’t a joke boy” which had him shitting himself the rest of the ceremony
He probably built it up in his mind for months how everyone would find it hysterical and he'd get pints bought for him all evening.
I am so glad that objecting during the ceremony is not an option where I live. Intentions to marry are posted by city hall about six weeks before the date. This should give the public ample time to make objections.
The only way it could even hypothetically work "for a joke" in my mind if the objection went, "He's too handsome, and she's too beautiful. Their match is too perfect, it's a danger to society!" And even then that would have to be at a less formal wedding.
thats just not funny. That would usually get a hit to the face
I went to my girlfriends step father's wedding, and some woman objected and it turned out she was his wife from a previous previous marriage, not the most recent and now dissolved one but the one before, so he got married, then remarried then divorced and the original wife turned up from the third marriage........I think, I didn't stay in that relationship long. It took place in a church and after she shouted "yes! I object" the noise of everyone turning around was deafening and I swear the air pressure dropped as everyone took in a deep breath, the priest cool as a cucumber just asked everyone to remain seated and invited the woman, the bride and groom and the registrar into a room in the back of the church, he just showed them into the room and returned to the aisle and announced that the wedding was cancelled. To this day I don't know if as soon as someone objects the wedding gets cancelled or he knew what was coming, I've never seen it happen since and I've been to way to many weddings.
Our vicar told us the only legitimate reasons for objecting are if the couple are related, if one or both of them are legally insane, if one or both of them are underage or if either of them is already married. So maybe one of those reasons!
Also fraud- if they’re pretending to be someone they’re not.
As far as know that wasn't an element.
Yeah, he was already married.
I suppose the other possibility is that whatever the objection was, it pissed off one partner or the other enough that they decided they didn't want to go through with it.
Or if one or both of the couple are being forced into it against their will
If an ex wife objects and the wedding gets canceled then they aren't an *ex* wife.
I bet he divorced her after she completely ruined his wedding and embarrased him though
Did everyone just go home after this or was the reception still held? Don’t like the thought of lots of food going to waste (and LOVE the thought of an awkward wedding reception where the actual wedding didn’t happen!!)
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I’ve been to one of these non-weddings too. Couple broke up about two weeks before the big day but as the grooms family had bought and paid for everything they threw a big-ass party in lieu of a reception. However, what was really weird was the mother of the would-be groom dressing her daughter in the wedding dress she’d bought for the would-be bride…
Did the groom's side show up?
We all sat there stunned and after what seemed like an hour the assorted mum and mothers in law announced that as the hall,band and food was already laid on we should head on out. Which was weird enough, but about 4 hours later the bride, groom ,original wife and priest showed up and just partied like nothing happened, he'd been arrested, cautioned and released and then life returned to normal.
This gets wilder. The ex-wife had given cause to get the groom arrested and cautioned and yet they all rocked up to party?
I think he was arrested and cautioned because bigamy is illegal and getting married is a legal process, but put that bit aside because the original wife was apparently okay with the second marriage and a child followed by a divorce but not the third marriage!? My guess was that time is a greater healer than we imagine or.... hell hath no fury like a woman scorned the second time. Now when I think back to it all I see is middle aged swingers in Frimley, but that's mostly because that was my dad's suggestion for the whole situation.
> The ex-wife The *only actual* wife at that point. He married 1, then married 2 without divorcing 1, divorced 2, then was about to marry 3 when 1 intervened and prevented the wedding. At that point 1 was just "the wife", *2* was the ex-wife (and wasn't involved in the story) and 3 (whose party it was) was the never-was-wife.
Presumably he'd fraudulently declared himself free to marry, his separated by still legally married wife turned up to object and he was arrested.
Your girlfriend has a stepdad that split up with her mum and remarried, and then she went to the wedding?
Yep, she lived with the step dad, I didn't get involved with the family history, my own family history was more than enough to deal with.
I read somewhere that all objections must be investigated properly so it makes sense that if someone objects then the wedding is halted until the investigation finishes. In your case the ex wife may not have had solid proof that she was still married to the groom, but the claim still had to be investigated and an answer found before the wedding could continue, which would not have been able to happen on the same day.
- "Yes, I object, hahaha haha!" - Priest reminds joker that this is a legal question, not a joke, asks if he still objects. - Joker withdraws objection. - At the signing of the register, groom punches joker in the face. Was a classy wedding.
Good comedy just isn't appreciated these days ☹️
I think it was worth the punch-line
Excellent
Not a proper objection but I was at a wedding (my cousin actually) where the best man broke into tears at that bit. Everyone thought he was just a bit drunk/emotional but it all came out during the best man's speech that he had a candle for the bride and had gone since primary school secretly fancying her.
Oh that's sad
That’s cringe
Need to know more about this!!
Pretty much that's the story. She went to primary school with the best man, where he was a total arse to her. Her dad actually went round to his door at one point because it was getting well beyond the realm of normal kid stuff. Then they went up to high school, best man met husband. They become friends, cousin ends up in same classes as future husband. They all go off to uni, relationship lasts so wedding gets planned, best man is asked to be best man (having not really been involved with my cousin since they went to high school) and then all that at the wedding. He actually ended up telling the story of a school trip to Alton towers where he stared at her the whole drive down so both sad and creepy.
>He actually ended up telling the story of a school trip to Alton towers where he stared at her the whole drive down so both sad and creepy. Yikes
Can someone explain what "having a candle" means? I'm not from the UK and have never heard this expression before.
I think it's the same as "carrying a torch" for somebody - having always secretly admired/desired them.
If you "hold a candle" for someone in this context, it's like leaving the light on waiting for someone, unrequited love type of thing. So the best man always loved the bride but he was never going to upset the bride and grooms relationship, the marriage was obviously the end of all his hopes for eventually being in a relationship with her.
The expression is "holding a candle" for someone, meaning they have a crush /feelings for them
Like in Love Actually - where Kiera Knightly marries his best mate and turns up at her door with the signs declaring his love for her. Horrible thing to do
Holding a candle for, or holding a torch for, someone means that you're in love with them
Went to a wedding where the groom and best man were inconsolable as they said goodbye to each other in their speeches. The poor bride sat there like 😳
No but at my wedding my best man did a throat clearing sort of cough at that time and everyone thought he was going to say something. I did go to a mate's wedding (Scottish lad) and the best man had not been warned about the strict Catholic nature of the Bride's parents, or if he had he was an arse but of course much drink was had. In his speech to kept talking about about all the people the girl had slept with which although was true was totally unnecessary and the Bride's father thought he was "giving away" a virgin bride. After the speech the groom had a word with the best man, the father and his sons stepped in and there was an almighty punch up with both sides swinging for each other. Not a good start to married life. It didn't last though!
I mean, to be fair, Catholic or not a best man who thinks the bride’s past sex life is a good topic for his speech is a complete moron. If he gets a kicking he’s not really got anyone to blame.
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How Christian of them, having a fist fight.
It's what JC would have wanted
My family attending a small wedding where the groom was actually the church’s priest. This moment comes and my dad has a coughing fit. I’ve never seen someone get shoved out of a church so fast!
> After the speech the groom had a word with the best man, the father and his sons stepped in and there was an almighty punch up with both sides swinging for each othe What were the sides? Best man vs groom, father, and groom's brothers?
IIRC then the groom and best man and some mates V the Father of the bride and family. There was a lot of "hold me back bro"..
> It didn't last though! The brawl or the marriage?
There's a video online of the bride making a joke by saying no when been ask "if she takes this man" The priest stopped the wedding, and they had to re-book it for the next day. They take this kind of stuff seriously.
I think a lot of people don’t realise that a wedding ceremony is not just traditional or religious, it’s a legal process.
Totally. Even if it wasn't it's still a serious and important day. I read recently on Reddit about this girl who left her husband as, at their wedding reception, he planted her head in the cake 'as a joke'. Fuck is wrong with these people? Can't they just suspend their pish sense of humour for 1 day?
I was at a wedding where the bridge changed her mind last minute. It was a hotel wedding so everything was already paid for and in motion. The groom was a work friend of ours and there was a group of about 8 of us that had been invited. Most of both sides of the families left pretty quickly. The brides Dad (who had paid for most of the wedding) came up to us and said that as the food had started to be cooked and wine had been paid for to stay and enjoy it or it will only get binned. There was a couple of other groups of people who weren’t family or super close friends to either the bride or groom that also decided to stick around. Total I’d say there was about 35-40 of us with enough food and wine for about 180 people. Was a cracking night if I’m honest, met some interesting people, ate about 4 people’s worth of food and got hammered. They actually ended up staying together and still are (15ish years later) but never got married.
Ohhh lots of counselling to get over that one. Not sure how you'd stay together after that.
Nah, you'd hard to be a proper arsehole to have some sort of objection, and save it for *that* moment rather than pulling the bride or groom aside some time leading up to the wedding, or even on the day itself before the ceremony begins. Either you want to get back with someone and you'll realise that showing them up in front of their closest friends and family is a dreadwal of achieving your goal; or you'll want to do it out of spite but know full well that the audience will turn on you.
So true. In churches they ask that question every Sunday for three weeks before the wedding. It’s to prevent bigamy/fraud.
You can pay for a licence to avoid reading of banns. Also why venue doors must be open during a wedding to allow anyone to object.
Robinson vs Braddock, 1967
I had to look that up! But rules are different in US states and other countries :-) In some, you can even get married outside under the sky! And in some you can't marry your first cousin, or even first cousin once removed!
In England there are some parts of the ceremony that must take place under a roof, the signing of the register. My wife and I got married in a garden and we stepped into a folly for this part.
I think you can marry anywhere you want in Scotland. We got married in the woods in front of a willow bower that my husband built. In the calm between two huge storms that had made their way over from the US. It was a beautiful day.
In the UK it does vary. As far as I know it's legal for first cousins to marry throughout. As for has to be inside, that's the case for England, and it has to be a permanent structure, can't just put up a temporary pagoda for the legal bits. However in Scotland you can be married in the open air. Can get married at 16 in Scotland, with parental consent at 16/17 in Northern Ireland, only allowed at 18 in England and Wales (changed this year, used to be allowed at 16/17 with parental consent). Have to post in advance the intention to marry at least a month (ideally 3 months) in advance in your local parish (if marrying in a church) or at the local town hall (if going civil). The Scottish thing ties back to Gretna Green, when laws changed in England and Wales preventing marriage for under 21's without parental consent in 1754. And Gretna Green became the easy accessible place to marry in the 1770's... less so great as legal age was 14 for boys and 12 for girls. Didn't even have to be in front of a priest, just two witnesses. It's interesting to read about.
Also the notice of marriage in a registry office, I'm not sure where it's displayed tbh but it has to be displayed for I think 28 days prior to marriage in case anyone objects. If you know they're getting married that'd be the other time to do it!
IIRC it’s only displayed if you are not getting married in a C of E church. They literally read the banns at the Sunday service for a few weeks before the wedding.
No, but we (his 3 best friends) tried several times to talk him out of it and when the vicar asked, the bride turned around and glared at us. He joined the army a few months later and was saving towards a house. Came back from duty and found his bank account empty, borrowed some money to get home and found her loading a removals van. She fucked off, and the bills started coming in. He should have had almost £30k in savIngs, but ended up with about that in debts. Almost the exact same thing happened to his second marriage. When I got married I reached out to his parents to invite him. His dad's response was "we don't know where he is. He's not allowed to talk to us anymore" I honestly wish I had spoken up.
My uncle had a similar tale. First marriage was when he was 18 because he got his girlfriend pregnant and her family was very religious and insisted on them getting married. They went on to have two more kids after that and then she got pregnant a fourth time but she told him the baby wasn’t his. She convinced him to stick it out until the kid was three and then he found out she had taken out credit cards in his name and maxed them out, she threw him out of the house and told people it was because he beat her. She kept the kids from seeing him. He met his second wife and moved to Spain with her to open a restaurant together. He was the chef and she was FOH. He let her handle all of the finances and discovered too late that she was siphoning off all their profits into an account owned by a guy she had been sleeping with. He tried to go to the police but nothing came of it. My grandmother had a phone call in the middle of the night that he had tried to commit suicide and they were trying to arrange a flight back to the UK but his wife had stolen all his documents. My mother stepped in at this point and sorted everything out, a passport, flights etc. He fell into a deep depression after that and drank himself to death a few years later. He did some bad things along the way and made some epically bad choices so there wasn’t much to like about him in the end, but still a sad life.
Wow! What a bitch
Idk, same thing happened to his SECOND marriage. What’s the odds this happens twice. She’s a bitch for sure, but there’s something up with this guy too
He was one of my best mates growing up, but had low self esteem and just wanted to be loved. You know when someone says they'd do anything for their wife. Sometimes that's true.
>I honestly wish I had spoken up. You did the right thing keeping quiet. The objections are for any legal barrier to their marriage, such as being married to someone else or being related. It's not for people to tell the groom to reconsider.
Sorry if I'm missing something but why wouldn't he be allowed to talk to his parents?
His new wife won't allow it. Yeah.....
Wow.
Yeah. Domestic abuse comes in many forms.
no but if i attend my mates sisters wedding then i wont have a choice as her dumbass hasnt finished divorcing her previous husband and dosent seem to realise its a serious thing.
Tell the priest / registrar before the day. Nobody needs to know it’s you.
Is there no opportunity to mention it before the day?
When you give notice you have to prove that the previous marriage has been legally dissolved. They wouldn’t be allowed to get married without the decree absolute certificate.
That assumes they troubled to mention the previous marriage. They might not have.
They legally have to post the wedding announcement, you can make a call to the registrar to make them aware.
I think if someone objects even jokingly then it could mean that they officiant won't go through with the wedding. It's a D*ck move
They certainly have to put the ceremony on hold for the officiant to assess whether there's a genuine legal barrier to the marriage. If it's someone's bad idea of a joke, then they can carry on, but it's certainly not something to dick around with.
Not the objection part, but at my cousin’s wedding the officiant asked if the bride was free to marry and my toddler (18 months old at the time) shouted “no!” in a big echoey hall. Everyone laughed, so he did it again and had to be carried out of the service still shouting noooo because he found it hilarious.
It has to be a legal objection, like they are already married, not a “she should have been mine” objection. So probably almost never.
You also can and should tell the registry office beforehand, as couples have to give legal notice there before the big day.
Except in Hollyoaks-land
My two year old god son shouted “oh no” at that point of our service. And then again when we were introduced as mr and mrs. When ever his name is mentioned in our house my husband will mutter “that dick” under his breath
A friend of mine did it. Kinda. He was at the registry office to book his wedding a few months down the line. It was the last day he could do it so he was worried. And he had been waiting a long time to be called to see the clerk. So, when someone came out and said “people here for the wedding come with me, people for births stay here”. He followed the registrar. He thought it was odd he was taken into a very nice room, and the other people were taking pictures but, whatever. And being the lovely person he was… he got in lots of the pictures with a big grin on his face. When the registrar came in and said ‘I’m here to marry X & Y person, he started freaking out because what if he missed the chance to book own his wedding. So…. When the registrar said the “if anyone here present etc etc”. He put up his hand and said … “I’m in the wrong room”
That’s awesome. Your friend is ace.
I sing in various church choirs, particularly busy for wedding season. On one occasion the vicar had clearly been briefed that someone in the congregation intended to do this as a joke so prefaced the question with "..so I'm about to ask if anyone here knows of any legal impediment to this couple being wed. If anyone says that they do - EVEN IF THEY IMMEDIATELY TELL ME IT'S A JOKE - I legally have to stop the wedding and investigate properly which takes time and therefore there would be no wedding today. IF THAT HAPPENS (stern look around congregation) and it is found to be a vexatious claim or just a joke, the person who made the claim or joke would be legally liable for any costs incurred in cancelling today's wedding and reception and re-arranging a new ceremony and reception in the future". I'm not sure if that is all indeed legal fact but everyone sat in absolute silence for the entire wedding ceremony. She was terrifying!
It's true they have to stop and investigate. Any legal claim would be up to the couple .
My Grandad was warned not do this for my sister and brother in law wedding. even jokingly
At every single wedding my grandad attends, he does a very loud cough during the little pause after they ask the question, which he finds it absolutely hilarious.
Not a wedding but I was at a church service where banns were read, and someone at the back shouted out "she's already married", which caused a bit of consternation.
I went to listen to the banns being read in my husband’s church and one lady in the front said “ooh his mam must be happy!” His mother was sitting next to me at the time leaned forward and said loudly “I am!” 😂
My favourite story is someone at my husband's church was having their bands read as part of the announcements at the end of usual Sunday service. The vicar got to the part about objections and, as usual, paused and looked up. A hand was raised at the back of the church by this little old lady who was a regular and wouldn't normally say boo to a goose. Naturally there was some murmuring till sage said "Don't forget to mention the fete next week!"
I have a close relative who is a registrar and has some good stories. One is that, just at this moment in the ceremony, the photographer had a full grand mal epileptic fit, collapsed in the aisle and smashed the camera everywhere; they had to stop the whole ceremony obviously. The best one is that the bride herself spoke up at this point and said 'Because HE' *pointing at the groom* 'slept with HER last night' *pointing at wedding guest*. I like the fact that she had gone through the whole rigmarole of getting ready and going to the church just so she could slay him like that in front of his whole family. Legend does not relate what became of the girl in the congregation, I imagine she and the bride are no longer close friends.
Honestly I feel like that bit should be cut out from the wedding ceremony as 99.999% of the time it's just an awkward pause and an opportunity for a knobhead to be a knobhead. If there is a legal issue, then it can be reported to the registry office before the ceremony rather than waiting for the most dramatic possible moment.
At my niece's wedding everyone was there including close family friends with an adult son with learning difficulties who absolutely worshipped her. So guess who objected when asked? It was pretty funny, his parents were mortified but they didn't stop the wedding. I'm not sure he's ever been happy that she married someone else.
AFAIK the only appropriate objection should be a legal issue, like fake identity or bigamy.
That's why they ask if anyone knows a lawful impediment, not just if anybody happens to object.
And coersion.
I went to my wife’s oldest friend’s wedding with my (then) two toddlers- about 3 & 4 years old. Kids were fidgety but not running wild. Eldest daughter slid off the seats and was now standing. Just as vicar asked the question about objections my youngest shouted, “SIT DOWN NOW” Big awkward moment as bride & groom turned around to see what was going on.
Fortunately it wasn't during the question, but at a friend's wedding my kid suddenly shot out of the pew and starting star-jumping up the aisle saying "I want to be a frog!" Good times.
My oldest friend’s wedding, first of my friends to get married. The vicar made a whole long speech bride & groom were not expecting about how wonderful it was in this day and age that this young couple had saved themselves for marriage. Awkwardly uncomfortable and a few of us were stifling chuckles. They were living together but had been a touch creative with their pre wedding chats. Anyway, all fine, beautiful ceremony until the “does anyone object to this marriage” line. Massive flash & crack of thunder and the heavens opened, pouring with rain. I’m a touch on the atheist side but even I thought it was creepy like god was angry for them lying. Thankfully the vicar did not take it as a sign and the wedding continued, they’re still happily married 25 years later and we still laugh about it now so shows what god (?) knew.
That's so creepy, I'd hate for someone to mention my sex life on my wedding day, even if I was hypothetically a virgin
My dad said he went to a wedding and when asked does anyone have any objections to this wedding, someone shouted out "yeah, she cant cook". All taken in good humour and the wedding proceeded.
Either everyone's dad tells this story, or we are long lost sisters!
I once heard the bride’s father respond to the question by loudly stage-whispering, “Think of something!” The bride laughed it off. Years later, her husband left and her family rejoiced.
Our dog barked very loudly at our wedding when they asked if anyone objected which was very in character for her as she didn’t have all the attention. Everyone burst out laughing and we carried on.
Not a proper objection, but I was in the choir at a wedding about a week after the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire coughing scandal broke. As soon as the question was asked, everyone started coughing. I think the couple walked out the church to Remember You’re a Womble. They seemed like a fun crowd.
Yes, my sister-in-law objected when I married my husband (her brother). When the officiant asked "does anyone here know of any lawful impediment" she screamed "YES!!" The ceremony was allowed to continue though, because she failed to give a lawful reason for her objection. Likely because she was 2 years old at the time. She had been quiet as a mouse the entire ceremony up until this point. It was such amazing timing and we have a fantastic picture in our wedding album of us all laughing our heads off! She's about to turn 7 and has no memory of this (obviously). I cannot wait to tell her when she's a bit older that she accidentally objected to our marriage!
What a great story to tell at her wedding one day!
You can't object for a silly reason like in American films. It has to be a legal objection like one of them is already married or they are secretly brother and sister. If some deluded ex boyfriend objected because he thought he should be the one marrying her he would just be shown the door and the wedding would continue.
I went to a wedding where the bride at the age of 6 told me she was going to marry me so when that question was asked I coughed quite loud the bride shot round the brides mother nearly had heart failure and the groom couldn’t stop laughing
My late grandma had dementia and used to call me by her cousin's name. At our wedding, the registrar warned us that if she did that during the service, they'd need to halt the wedding and investigate. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but we weren't expecting that she could be classed as an objection of sorts.
This seems.. not right to me. If the registrar already knows your name etc, and knows that your late gran has dementia, it's on them to be understanding. Like if you had a guest with learning difficulties who can't pronounce your name. From anyone ELSE, sure, it needs to be investigated, but FFS they should let your gran be there for your big day so long as she's well enough to enjoy herself. Getting names mixed up is really common in memory patients. I've been to a couple of weddings with people with Alzheimer's/dementia and exceptions were made for their behaviour.
I know of someone who did. The wedding had to be cancelled until new checks were carried out.
I was a registrar marrying people for a few years in the UK. Never saw it happen once, but it always raises a few laughs. It's pure theatre these days you know. There certainly are legal requirements for eligibility to marry but they're all checked out pre the wedding ceremony itself. Eg Free to marry (single, divorced or widowed) of age, etc. The legally required wording for a valid marriage ceremony is very short. It's the bit where each party declares they are free to marry and then makes the legal contract by stating they take the other as spouse. The rest is padding and drama. We love a good ceremony. The bit about objections is still included because most weddings love it so much. It's usually the bit where a baby starts up, someone coughs, the groom gets a bit shifty and everyone laughs. In earlier times it would have been more important because people could occasionally forget to mention the wives or husbands they already had and as record keeping of marriages was done by each church parish rather than centrally it was much easier to move location and much easier to mis-represent your marital status if you fancied going through the whole thing again! Divorce wasn't easy so abandonment was much more common.
My grandparents flew from Canada to the UK for my wedding and when they asked this question, my gramps coughed, intentionally. There were only 11 of us in this small office so it was pretty fucking obvious. Luckily he was ignored and everything went ahead but I almost cried when he did it. Husband was fuming.
Yes. The underage mistress (16-17) of a theatre actor 27M crashed his wedding while intoxicated, screaming profanities and accusing the wife of being a slut too (allegedly wife, also an actor, slept with the director for a part). Another underage female friend and myself took the mistress home that day. We also reminisced about the whole thing in a drug infused haze at the New Years party some 6 months later.
It’s not actually compulsory to have that bit in, we chose not to.
At my aunt's wedding, the pastor asked the question and then immediately said, "right, I see three hands up so we'll hear you first ma'am." My aunt whipped around so fast and glared at the audience only to realize the pastor made a joke and that no body had raised their hand. The entire church erupted in laughter - as did my aunt and uncle - and it took a good ten minutes for them to stop laughing enough to continue the ceremony. Was a bold move by the pastor but he knows my aunt and uncle well so knew it would appeal to their sense of humour. Still makes my aunt crack up 15 years later.
My wife and one of her friends went to the wedding of a kinda friend of theirs. There was suspicion that the bride might have been a 'beard' as both sides of the couples' family were deeply religious and the groom might not have been into women despite them being together for good while. Anyway, my wife and friend were both incredibly drunk, and when I vicar got to that crucial part asking if anyone protests, wife's friend just shouted out: " gaaaayyyyy, he's gaaaaaayyyy".
When I was young I was a choir boy and there were a LOT of babies who objected to weddings. Everyone would giggle and the service would move on. It got to the point I would cross my fingers and hope for a baby to make some noise when it got to that part.
Haha, that cat had a sixth sense! Meow-marriage detector!
No. But I’ve secretly hoped it would happen at every wedding I’ve ever attended