IMPEDIMENT DECLARATION

Ceremonies included in this site offer more than enough to choose or develop an appropriate ceremony for your wedding and make it both meaningful and inspiring. Along with these, we offer guidance for managing some of the more delicate dimensions of wedding planning and resources for those important atmosphere-developing aspects of your ceremony. We trust they will help you to plan all dimensions of your unique wedding celebration.

DECLARATION OF IMPEDIMENT
It is a legal requirement of wedding ceremonies that they include a declaration of no impediment by the couple. It usually also invites guests to object if they know of any impediment. Sometimes couples are unnerved by the possibility that one of their guests might use this opportunity to create uncertainty that could embarrass the couple by speaking something at this point in the ceremony. Some, in fact, failing to realize the legal importance of this part of the ceremony, may make noises or speak something at this juncture, not realizing that it is our role as officiants to ensure as best we can that the union is valid. If, in fact, someone were to express what appears to be a valid legal issue, we, as officiants would have to stop the ceremony until the objection were proven or removed. 

Since the legal issue is the declaration of no impediment by the couple, the following alternate wording would fulfill the legal requirement:

DECLARATION

_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ stand before you today to exchange their marriage vows. None among you has shown any just cause why they may not be married, nor have they themselves declared any impediment. _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_, if there is any reason why you may not lawfully be married, I charge you now to declare it. For the marriage covenant must be made in a spirit of honesty and openness.

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