There’s an uncomfortable spot in a wedding ceremony when the officiant may say something like this: “Therefore, if anyone can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.” Gulp. Everyone holds their breath to see if a wedding objection is forthcoming.
History of the wedding objection
How in the world did this become a part of wedding ceremonies?
The idea of a wedding objection traces back a thousand years to the Catholic Church. And it’s a practical reason: the priest wanted to ensure the legitimacy of the union. For example, is one of the participants already married, related, or underage?
Today we live in an information age which allows us to research a person’s background in a matter of minutes. But Google is a recent innovation in the sweep of history. In the past, word of mouth was a vital tool for verifying someone’s eligibility for marriage.
Do wedding objections ever occur?
Does anyone ever actually object at a wedding (except in the movies, of course)? On occasion, yes. A guy on Reddit who goes by the name ‘Bowlingcabbages’ asked if anyone ever witnessed a wedding objection. A lot of people responded with funny anecdotes of incidents they had witnessed at weddings.
But one guy told about how he had objected at his own cousin’s wedding. Why? Because his cousin had hit his fiancé on multiple occasions. As you might guess, his objection didn’t go over very well. He was escorted from the ceremony, but was sadly redeemed shortly after the wedding when the groom went to prison twice for beating his wife.
What do you do if a wedding objection is made?
So what do you do if something happens at your ceremony? You have a number of options. The obvious one is don’t have the officiant even ask the question. If he or she does and someone objects, you can either ignore the objector or ask him (or her) to leave, at which point the officiant should ask if you want to continue.
The wedding objection is a rarity, not something to dwell on. Nonetheless, be prepared in case you’ve been compelled to invite a potential troublemaker to your celebration.
On a positive note, be prepared for a packed dance floor if you go with Columbus Pro DJs to provide wedding entertainment at your affair. We have yet to meet a couple that objects to fun!
