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Objections At Weddings Actually Happen In Real Life And Here Are 30 Stories That Folks In This Online Group Shared
A wedding is considered to be one of the most exciting and special occasions in a person’s life. It is also one of the most joyous occasions for family and friends of soon-to-be newlyweds. But as most of us know, there are situations where someone’s decision to marry their significant other is not met with much excitement or in the worst case, a serious objection.
Having this in mind, Reddit user @summeralexander14 asked people online to share some stories of them witnessing an objection during a wedding or even objecting themselves. The question that received 13.5k upvotes was soon filled with various stories that people decided to reveal to others. Some of these included funny and not-so-serious cases of objection, while others were quite intense and sad as it would reveal some deeper issues that lay within a family.
Do you have similar experiences with weddings? Which one of these situations do you find the most astonishing? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
More Info: Reddit
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#1
At our friends marriage, there was a storm building outside. When the "does anyone object" part came up, there was a flash of lightning and a huge thunderclap. The power went out, and by candlelight the pastor said "I'm not counting that," and finished the ceremony. They were married 30 years, then she died from leukemia.
The video of their wedding is awesome.
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#2
My dad marrying his third wife.
My step brother and I were in the wedding party. He was about 6, I was 10. The preacher asks if anyone objects and my brother raises his hand so very politely. My dad asks why, and my step brother replies, "because I want you to promise to take me fishing whenever I want, first."
#3
When my cousin got married to her wife, her parents, grandparents and a few other older family members stood up and walked out. They didn't say anything or try to stop the wedding, it was just a symbol of their disproval. My cousin was pretty devastated because she thought the attendance meant they had changed their mind and wanted to support her, but it was just a trick.
#4
I was at my cousin’s wedding and someone screamed at the top of their lungs “OBJECTION, your honor” because my cousin is a judge.
#5
My wife's uncle (who owned the farm we were getting married) stood up at the objection part. Immediately, his son (who was the man of honor) yelled at him to sit down. To his credit he did. For about 12 seconds then stood up again. He objected because there was a big f**king storm coming up the driveway and about to smack the ceremony and all of our hurrying couldn't beat it. My wife made it inside before getting drenched...no one else did. Got married inside instead.
#6
I grew up in a super fundamentalist Christian community. My best friend fell in love, but her parents were pissed because they wanted to do an arranged marriage for her, so they locked her in the house for months. Finally I helped her escape and she got married in a very small ceremony.
She used to be very close to her brother, so she invited him. He was also angry about her eloping, so he wore all black, including black sunglasses, and stood there looking pissed the whole time.
We specifically asked the pastor to not do the "does anyone object" thing because we didn't want to give anyone the chance. When her brother realized the pastor wasn't going to say it, he tried to stop the wedding anyway. My brothers had to escort him out.
The whole thing was f**king heartbreaking.
ephemeral_mochi 3 years ago
I honestly thought arranged marriages were a thing of medieval times. This is sad.
#7
My cousin was marrying a Korean guy she went to grad school with. His family had come in from abroad and were sitting all together on one side of the room. When they got to the objection part, this Korean girl yells out "NO!" and stands up and starts screaming in Korean at the groom. As everyone is trying to figure out what the hell is going on, an old lady calmly walks up to the girl and slaps her face. The girl starts sobbing as some more older women grab her and pull her outside.
The explanation was that she was just a drunk friend that didn't want him marrying an American. Found out later that the girl was actually a childhood sweetheart that was screaming how the groom promised to marry her-- which was awkward since the two were related to each other in some way (was not quite sure how). Anyway, cousin and her husband are quite happy, so no harm in the end.
#8
As the story goes, my parents’ wedding was officiated by my mother’s grandfather. When asked if there were any objections to my parents’ wedding, my father’s parents rose and stood silently. This was not a surprise; my mother and my father’s parents did NOT get along at all. Everyone knew this, so it wasn’t a surprise.
In response to their silent disapproval, my great-grandfather lauded their silent standing by saying something along the lines of “Ah, the parents of the groom have risen in support of the couple. Thank you!”
It’s unclear how the attendees responded, but my paternal grandparents left silently at that point. I never met them, but I think I’m glad I didn’t
#9
I was at the wedding of that rare beast - a work colleague who was actually a good friend as well. Only a couple of work people were invited by her, including a guy we'll call Matt, because that is his name. Matt and the bride had dated for a while a few years ago, but had remained good friends after.
So the ceremony starts, no sign of Matt... we get to the bit 'does anyone have any lawful objections etc' and the church goes quiet, then the heavy wooden door to the church door bangs open and there is Matt, looking red faced, flustered and upset and you could see the thoughts run through everyone's mind... 'Oh s**t'... and Matt limped awkwardly to a pew in the back and sat down quietly.
He'd overslept and twisted his ankle running to the church, that was all - so no objection, no drama, but damn we all though for a second it was going to kick off. My friend the bride even saw the funny side, about 3 months later.
#10
My dad's seen an objection - he volunteers at a church. The bride and groom were siblings, and their father hadn't told them until he objected (I believe he was estranged to both of them). They already had a kid apparently.
#11
Not someone who had someone object at their wedding, but....
My older sister torments me about the second wedding I went to as a kid (first being my parents wedding).
Apparently attention seeking 4 year old me thought this gap of silence needed to be filled with my best cookie monster impression, so during the silence I yelled "Cookie Monster om nom nom nom."
Obviously everyone looked around at me in shock for breaking the silence, before the bride and most of the congregation burst out laughing.
This is the only wedding in my extended family that ended in divorce (4-5 years down the line) and as such I am one of the people that get stared at everytime this moment happens in a wedding. The oracle known as Cookie Monster.
#12
Priest here. Where I am, the only objection people can make is a legal one. It doesn’t matter if they merely don’t approve.
I had one objection at a wedding, where the person who spoke claimed the groom was already married. That’s enough to stop the wedding. Turned out they were Serbian (which I knew) and didn’t know our legal system. The groom hadn’t realised the church wedding was also the legal wedding, so they’d married each other in a civil ceremony a few days before. That was fun to sort out!
#13
Not an objection, but my mom says that during her first wedding (not to my dad), literally EVERYONE, including her own family and the groom’s, was telling her behind the scenes that she could just “run off” or simply call off the ceremony entirely. But she paid them no mind and went on with the wedding.
A month later he got physically abusive with her. She packed her bags the same day and thankfully got out of it quickly.
#14
I was at a wedding where there were three parties: the bride's, the groom's, and the groom's mother's. She hated the bride, thought she was not good enough for her son, etc. I was friends with both bride and groom, and they had to invite the groom's mom and dad, but they had the priest avoid the "Objection" part of the ceremony.
At the reception, there was a moment where the groom's father danced with the bride, and a few minutes later she stormed off the dance floor. The groom's dad had offered her $5,000 cash to walk away right then and there and have the marriage annulled. The reception featured a flambeau entrée, and everybody was watching the groom's mother, half expecting her to grab one of the flaming skewers from one of the waiters and hurl it at the bride.
They're still married 30 years later and have two kids, but I believe they are estranged from the groom's family for some reason...
Ellie Rosser 3 years ago
Take the $5k and then get remarried at the registry office afterwards.
#15
Not quite an objection but sharing anyway:
When my dad and stepmother married, my litte brother was a toddler and had a hilarious and contagious laugh. Right when the objection part came up he decided to fill the moment of silence and then couldn't stop laughing at himself in a vicious cycle.
Had to stop the wedding so everyone could regain thier composure, b/c he had everyone else laughing so hard!
#16
Not my wedding but at a friends, a family member paid some kid $20 to run in and say "Daddy don't marry that woman!" like it was his child. Did not go over well as a prank at all....
#17
First wedding in Vegas, found a homeless guy to be a witness in exchange for a sandwich from subway, objected because it didn’t have olives like he wanted.
RIP
#18
My husbands (now former) female best friend said, "you know his parents prefer me. They want me to marry him but I turned him down" the morning of my wedding.
My ILs hate her.
#19
It wasn't verbal, and no one will admit it was 100% on purpose.
My husband's grandmother intentionally made him an hour late to our wedding, hoping we would just call it off.
She gave him directions to her timeshare that was her gift to us for the wedding night - except she conveniently gave him the wrong one. The one that was on the other side of the city from both the wedding and the correct one, and that he had to cross Interstate 4 (one of the worst highways in Florida, and possibly America) during 5pm traffic on a weekday to get to.
Everyone chalked it up to "oh, she's a senile old lady, she just got mixed up."
No she wasn't, and no she didn't. She was only senile when she could use it as a cover for being malicious. I could detail many other examples, but I won't.
What happened? The wedding started an hour late, so we lost an hour of the reception, and we're still married 13 years later.
#20
Not an official objection, but when my mum was marrying my dad, my grandpa (her dad) circled her around the church over and over again telling her he didn’t have to stop, she didn’t have to go in, and they could just drive away.
It didn’t work. They’re still married 30+ years later. Eventually grandpa learned to like dad.
Joran Quinten 3 years ago
I don't know your grandpa, but I find it horrible that he didn't trust in the decision his daughter made and instead of being supportive was acting like a child.
#21
My mother wrote 'help me' on the bottom of my shoes so when we kneeled during the ceremony everyone behind us would see it. It was pretty passive aggressive. But she wasn't wrong. Marriage lasted less than a year.
#22
I was told by my husband’s family his sister planned to object. The week before she told us she would go to my husband’s next wedding because we won’t last long. It’s been 10 years and I’m still happy she didn’t go, lol.
#23
A friend, call her Blonde Doctor, was getting married in five days and I definitely didn’t care for the groom based on his past behavior. I was joking around with a different friend and sent them a link to a wiki-how on “How to stop a wedding”. Went back to a text conversation with Blonde Doctor, and it turns out I accidentally sent her the link to the wiki-how, not my other friend. Whoops.
It ended up being a fairly awkward wedding. Two years later, they’re divorced and we’re friends again.
EDIT: Yes, Blonde Doctor is a Scrubs reference. Whenever I am telling a story and I don’t want to reveal personal information, I just refer to people as either Blonde Doctor or Keyser Soze.
#24
My ex-wifes Aunt said to me on the wedding day...
" you dont have to do this ya know "
I should have listened
#25
It didn’t quite happen but a work friend who was a libertarian had planned to stand up during my wedding ceremony and deliver a speech objecting organised marriage as a form of government control, explaining that it’s wrong to be forced to register your relationship with the state in order for it to be legally recognised and such. Luckily he shared his plan with someone with similar political views who convinced him it would have been a jerk move so instead he no showed and put a long post on Facebook about his reasons for “conscientiously objecting”.
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
Libertarians are idiots, at least in the US. The American Libertarian Party's manifesto specifically calls for the repeal of the federal income tax, while simultaneously supporting the existence of the gigantic monster that is the US military. Sure, guys, but who's going to pay for it if there are no taxes?!
#26
Exgfs coworker wedding. The groom’s side chick shows up absolutely hammered right when the ceremony started. Screaming at him saying she’s supposed to marry him. She was carried out by a few of the groomsmen. Ceremony went on like nothing happened. Find out about 1 year later that he was still cheating ( with that chick and another one)
#27
My maternal granddad said to my mum on her wedding day, to not marry my dad as he wasn’t good enough for her. He was right of course, but if she’d listened I wouldn’t exist.
ShriSha Kamboj 3 years ago
you live with the decisions u make.....but something good always comes out of the bad
#28
I had a small chunk of my family boycott my wedding, not because of my choice of groom but because of my choice of clergy. They even promised to pay for another clergy.
I kept the clergy and they did not attend. After several years they are still spiteful and have burned many bridges aside from mine.
Sky Render 3 years ago
Religion really is the ultimate hate-maker. It's supposed to act as a support network, not as a gang!
#29
On my first wife my entire family objected, they said I was making a bad choice
They were right, I shouldn't have married her. So happy I divorced her 2 years later...honestly should have divorced her sooner, honestly shouldn't have married her to begin with.
Thank god I had no kids with her.
Don't Look 3 years ago
That last bit, no kids, absolutely makes things so much easier. That was the second question my divorce lawyer asked me.
#30
My dad objected leading upto my wedding. Even went as far as making a Facebook(he's 60+) and letting a bunch of people know he was against it.
There was no way he could object at the wedding cause he didn't come.
What do you think ?
cybermerlin2000 3 years ago
At my aunts wedding, at the objection part, we all heard my grandad say "Sit the f*ck down and shut the f*ck up!" We all looked and my Nan was sat there, arms crossed and a face that would freeze the deepest pits of hell. Turned out she objected as my aunt was a better cook. Took a few months but they broke the ice when a big surprise party came up and my aunt asked my nan to help her cater for it. They made awesome food together and did so for a few decades. Grandad passed and aunty did the catering for it with nans blessing and aunty had nan move in not long after. My nan left my aunty with a book filled with all the recipes they had done together and a note saying 'The best part of my life was in the kitchen with you. Share these delicacies with the grand children' My Aunt has been married for 34 years now and still with my uncle. My cousin (2nd eldest) in that family loves to cook
Jo Choto 3 years ago
I didn't bother telling my family I got married until after the fact. I knew they would object because he was a person of colour. When I did tell them, they all had a s**t fit and most of them never spoke to me again. Not my problem.
Yoga Kitty 3 years ago
Sounds like a very good decision on your part - just because they are family you do not have to put up with toxic people!
Load More Replies...
Effseven Six 3 years ago
So, I know a girl who was supposed to file the marriage papers for her best friend... and never did. Not too long after the "marriage", married friend told her she was getting a divorce.... then was told there was no divorce, because the papers were never filed.... The best friend knew the dude was an a-hole.. she did that girl a solid.
Harri Ellis 3 years ago
My husband and I just decided to get married one day to avoid having his mother there. She was a staunch Southern belle, and still believed everyone should still own slaves. Add to the fact that I was from the North, and therefore a dirty Yankee. She used to tell me every chance she got how many Yankees her grandfather hanged in front of house. Lovely woman whose children despised her beliefs.
Ivana 3 years ago
When my great grandfather married my great grandmother his parents objected because she was a working woman. My great grandmother had become a war time nurse and then continued to be a nurse until she got married. My great great grandparents threatened to disinherit my great grandfather if he married her. They came to an agreement where my great grandparents could keep the farm only if they gave my great great grandparents their first born son. They agreed and that is why my great uncle grew up a mile down the road with his grandparents instead of with everyone else.
ForgotMyPWSendHelp 3 years ago (edited)
That's... kind of messed up. Who would give up their child for land? Also, was the great great grandfather Rumpelstiltskin?
Load More Replies...
kim morris 3 years ago
I'm a JP in Ct, I do weddings all the time. And that 'objection' bit isn't in any of the paperwork we use. And I have to say, I've never been to a wedding where it was used. And I'm old. Where is this awful custom still being used? Is it a certain religious sect? A certain state law?
Tim Douglass 3 years ago
It persists in some religious services, but it is a bit of a carry-over from the old custom of posting (or reading) the Banns several weeks before the wedding. The purpose was to let people know the couple was getting married so that if there was a prior marriage (remember, no divorce in general) the new marriage could be stopped. The truth is that only a legitimate, legal objection was to be entertained, although in some cases trying to marry outside of your religion would qualify. In the modern era it's mainly just an anachronism which is intended to indicate by silence that all in attendance are supportive. As a pastor I have never, and will never, include it. I also will not use the "obey" part of the vows.
Load More Replies...
Don't Look 3 years ago
I guess most people don't know this but an objection at a wedding is not quite the threat it's perceived to be. When I asked the priest "what happens if someone objects" she said that she and the person go have a quiet conversation elsewhere for a couple minutes and then we proceed.
Miss Frankfurter 3 years ago
My parents had a very quickly put together wedding as my dad was in the military and was being shipped out in less than a week. It was a very small wedding where my dad met his soon to be brother-in-law for the first time in the church office. My mom's little nephew's had to be at the wedding as the wedding dinner was being prepared back at the house and they would be in the way. There were maybe 8 people there. It just echoed in the church. One of the nephew's, just a little guy, could not pronounce my mom's name, so he made up his own for her. Almost empty church, the minister asks for objections. Her little nephew said very loudly "What ya doin' Auntie Dodo?" Everyone broke up laughing.
Yoga Kitty 3 years ago
Why does anybody have this stupid text in their ceremony? If there is a real, important reason to object, do it before everything is arranged and the wedding is already in progress - if you want to be petty, funny, dislike or want to declare your everlasting love for either bride or groom just STFU. Thank you very much.
Calyfan Yelood 3 years ago (edited)
I wholeheartedly agree. I think it acts as more of a reminder to the attendees that they shouldn't object (unless abuse) to the marriage after it is already done.
Load More Replies... Just saying 3 years ago
Some context. In the UK, Weddings conducted in church are legal ceremonies. The celebrant is acting as an officer of the crown. The wedding certificate is a legal document signed (until very recently) physically in the church during the ceremony. As such, this question must be asked publically of the congregation and the couple before the marriage takes place. The correct wording is 'If anyone here knows a reason IN LAW why this man and this woman should not be wed, you are to declare it now'. The only reasons acceptable are legal ones, and if made the whole ceremony has to stop while the objection is investigated. To prevent this happening on the day, Banns are read at each of the couple's home churches and also at the church they are to be wed in each of the three Sundays prior to the wedding. This gives a chance for anyone in the local community to go 'hang on a moment', before the big day happens (a bit redundant now since we all live in towns and don't know our neighbours)
ZAPanda 3 years ago
I always think the 'any objections' part should be left aside because it gives nosey parkers an opportunity to get the attention they so desperately desire. If there are legal objections it's the "officiant's" job to find out, e.g. if the person is already married or if they are a foreigner who is attempting a marriage of convenience just to get a passport etc. (Yes that often happens here as many other africans try to come live here due to the higher quality of life -- we have something like 5% of our population as immigrants from the rest of the continent).
cybermerlin2000 3 years ago
At my aunts wedding, at the objection part, we all heard my grandad say "Sit the f*ck down and shut the f*ck up!" We all looked and my Nan was sat there, arms crossed and a face that would freeze the deepest pits of hell. Turned out she objected as my aunt was a better cook. Took a few months but they broke the ice when a big surprise party came up and my aunt asked my nan to help her cater for it. They made awesome food together and did so for a few decades. Grandad passed and aunty did the catering for it with nans blessing and aunty had nan move in not long after. My nan left my aunty with a book filled with all the recipes they had done together and a note saying 'The best part of my life was in the kitchen with you. Share these delicacies with the grand children' My Aunt has been married for 34 years now and still with my uncle. My cousin (2nd eldest) in that family loves to cook
Jo Choto 3 years ago
I didn't bother telling my family I got married until after the fact. I knew they would object because he was a person of colour. When I did tell them, they all had a s**t fit and most of them never spoke to me again. Not my problem.
Yoga Kitty 3 years ago
Sounds like a very good decision on your part - just because they are family you do not have to put up with toxic people!
Load More Replies... Effseven Six 3 years ago
So, I know a girl who was supposed to file the marriage papers for her best friend... and never did. Not too long after the "marriage", married friend told her she was getting a divorce.... then was told there was no divorce, because the papers were never filed.... The best friend knew the dude was an a-hole.. she did that girl a solid.
Harri Ellis 3 years ago
My husband and I just decided to get married one day to avoid having his mother there. She was a staunch Southern belle, and still believed everyone should still own slaves. Add to the fact that I was from the North, and therefore a dirty Yankee. She used to tell me every chance she got how many Yankees her grandfather hanged in front of house. Lovely woman whose children despised her beliefs.
Ivana 3 years ago
When my great grandfather married my great grandmother his parents objected because she was a working woman. My great grandmother had become a war time nurse and then continued to be a nurse until she got married. My great great grandparents threatened to disinherit my great grandfather if he married her. They came to an agreement where my great grandparents could keep the farm only if they gave my great great grandparents their first born son. They agreed and that is why my great uncle grew up a mile down the road with his grandparents instead of with everyone else.
ForgotMyPWSendHelp 3 years ago (edited)
That's... kind of messed up. Who would give up their child for land? Also, was the great great grandfather Rumpelstiltskin?
Load More Replies... kim morris 3 years ago
I'm a JP in Ct, I do weddings all the time. And that 'objection' bit isn't in any of the paperwork we use. And I have to say, I've never been to a wedding where it was used. And I'm old. Where is this awful custom still being used? Is it a certain religious sect? A certain state law?
Tim Douglass 3 years ago
It persists in some religious services, but it is a bit of a carry-over from the old custom of posting (or reading) the Banns several weeks before the wedding. The purpose was to let people know the couple was getting married so that if there was a prior marriage (remember, no divorce in general) the new marriage could be stopped. The truth is that only a legitimate, legal objection was to be entertained, although in some cases trying to marry outside of your religion would qualify. In the modern era it's mainly just an anachronism which is intended to indicate by silence that all in attendance are supportive. As a pastor I have never, and will never, include it. I also will not use the "obey" part of the vows.
Load More Replies... Don't Look 3 years ago
I guess most people don't know this but an objection at a wedding is not quite the threat it's perceived to be. When I asked the priest "what happens if someone objects" she said that she and the person go have a quiet conversation elsewhere for a couple minutes and then we proceed.
Miss Frankfurter 3 years ago
My parents had a very quickly put together wedding as my dad was in the military and was being shipped out in less than a week. It was a very small wedding where my dad met his soon to be brother-in-law for the first time in the church office. My mom's little nephew's had to be at the wedding as the wedding dinner was being prepared back at the house and they would be in the way. There were maybe 8 people there. It just echoed in the church. One of the nephew's, just a little guy, could not pronounce my mom's name, so he made up his own for her. Almost empty church, the minister asks for objections. Her little nephew said very loudly "What ya doin' Auntie Dodo?" Everyone broke up laughing.
Yoga Kitty 3 years ago
Why does anybody have this stupid text in their ceremony? If there is a real, important reason to object, do it before everything is arranged and the wedding is already in progress - if you want to be petty, funny, dislike or want to declare your everlasting love for either bride or groom just STFU. Thank you very much.
Calyfan Yelood 3 years ago (edited)
I wholeheartedly agree. I think it acts as more of a reminder to the attendees that they shouldn't object (unless abuse) to the marriage after it is already done.
Load More Replies... Just saying 3 years ago
Some context. In the UK, Weddings conducted in church are legal ceremonies. The celebrant is acting as an officer of the crown. The wedding certificate is a legal document signed (until very recently) physically in the church during the ceremony. As such, this question must be asked publically of the congregation and the couple before the marriage takes place. The correct wording is 'If anyone here knows a reason IN LAW why this man and this woman should not be wed, you are to declare it now'. The only reasons acceptable are legal ones, and if made the whole ceremony has to stop while the objection is investigated. To prevent this happening on the day, Banns are read at each of the couple's home churches and also at the church they are to be wed in each of the three Sundays prior to the wedding. This gives a chance for anyone in the local community to go 'hang on a moment', before the big day happens (a bit redundant now since we all live in towns and don't know our neighbours)
ZAPanda 3 years ago
I always think the 'any objections' part should be left aside because it gives nosey parkers an opportunity to get the attention they so desperately desire. If there are legal objections it's the "officiant's" job to find out, e.g. if the person is already married or if they are a foreigner who is attempting a marriage of convenience just to get a passport etc. (Yes that often happens here as many other africans try to come live here due to the higher quality of life -- we have something like 5% of our population as immigrants from the rest of the continent).
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