‘Speak now or forever hold your peace’: This is what happens next when you object at a wedding

Weddings don't always guarantee a happily ever after

But, not everyone opts to hold his or her peace (Getty Images)

Scenes where someone runs into a wedding, tears streaming down their face and trying to stop a ceremony are typically reserved for Hollywood movies.

But, not everyone opts to hold his or her peace in real life either.

Asking wedding guests whether they know of any lawful reason why two people should not marry is a question posed in a last-ditch attempt to bring to light illicit shenanigans, and we’ve often wondered what really happens when someone pipes up.

And, while “speak now or forever hold your peace” may be slowly waning from modern-day ceremony scripts, that’s not to say you won’t get any opposition.

Taking to Reddit, one person asked, “Redditors who have objected at weddings or seen someone object, what happened in the next five minutes?”

Besides ruining the mood for the rest of the day, luckily some were able to see the funny side.

“My uncle yelled out “shut the f*** up Bobby ”, then everybody laughed and my cousin sat down,” one wrote.

But others entered a state of complete shock.

“There was silence. Absolute silence,” someone added.

Another guest shared a tale about their friend’s wedding where the bride's parents were “super conservative” and didn’t like the fact the groom was 10 years older and had been previously divorced.

“All was going well, until the preacher asks the audience if anyone has objections to why they should get married.... and as serious as can be, dad of the bride stands up and says “her mother and I object,” and then after a long hesitation sits back down.

“No one can believe that that just happened. Not knowing exactly how to handle it, the preacher just says 'ok' and finishes the ceremony as planned.” Awkward.

Unsurprisingly, alcohol-induced lawful impediments are also a thing.

One person explained, “A guest for the wedding arrived a few hours early, so he sat in the restaurant and had a few too many drinks.

He yelled “don't f***ing do it, he's an a**hole”. There was the typical gasp by the crowd, then it was just silence as people from the bar escorted him out.”

Another account didn’t end so straightforwardly, however.

“I was at a college buddy's wedding when a drunken childhood friend of the bride tried to stand up and profess his love for her. The bride's father immediately stood up and tried to haul off said drunken guy by the ear, except he was so p***ed he pulled too hard and partially severed the guy's ear.”

But the worst account was from one wedding guest who said, “When the pastor got to the part ‘or forever hold your peace,’ the bride said, ‘Yes, I’d like to say something.’

“Then she turned around to her guests and said, ‘I’d like to thank my maid of honour for sleeping with my fiancé last night.’ With that, she threw her bouquet and stormed off. The story even made it on the radio at the time.”