Czech Groom Says “No” at Altar

A Klatovy marriage ceremony ended in shock when the groom apparently changed his mind at the worst possible moment

Dave Park

Written by Dave Park Published on 29.07.2016 15:57:02 (updated on 29.07.2016) Reading time: 1 minute

What’s the worst thing that can happen during a wedding ceremony?

How about when the groom says “no” when asked if he’ll take the bride as his lawful wedded wife.

Well, that’s exactly what transpired at on unfortunate wedding ceremony this month in Klatovy, south of Plzeň.

The mayor of Klatovy, Rudolf Salvetr, happened to be at the wedding as a registrar.

“Nothing like this has ever happened to me,” he told Novinky.cz

“Sometimes one of the betrothed will say ‘no’ for kicks or as a joke. But that was not the case here, so the marriage is obviously invalid.”

The identity of the young couple was not revealed. The mayor described the wedding as ‘restrained’ and the participants ‘polite’.

“Of course I was surprised. It’s extremely uncomfortable for everyone involved,” Salvetr continued. “They make preperations, hold almost the entire ceremony, and then this happens.”

Is the answer legally binding? There are clear rules in Czech law that govern the unusual response.

“When one of the betrothed says ‘no,’ they must be asked again,” Jitka Kunstová, who has over thirty years of experience at the Plzeň register, told Novinky.

“Only if the answer is negative again, must the marriage be declared unfinalized.”

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