A court in the Netherlands has delivered a landmark ruling, declaring a couple's marriage invalid because the wedding officiant used the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT to write the ceremony's pivotal declaration.
The Core of the Legal Dispute
The district court in Overijssel, in the eastern Netherlands, issued its judgment on Monday 9 January 2026. It concluded that 'no marriage between the man and the woman has been established', leading to the cancellation of their marriage certificate. The wedding had taken place in April of the previous year.
The court's decision hinged on a strict interpretation of the Dutch civil code. It found that the speech delivered by a one-day civil registrar, who was also a good friend of the couple, did not fulfil mandatory legal phrasing. Dutch law requires that prospective spouses explicitly 'accept each other as husband and wife' and vow to 'faithfully fulfil all duties which the law connects to their marital status.'
The AI-Generated Speech and Emotional Fallout
The speech in question, which aimed for a light-hearted tone as requested by the couple, included prompts like: 'Do you promise…to laugh together, grow together, and love each other - whatever life brings?' and concluded with: 'Then I declare to you with this: Not only husband and wife, but above all a team, a crazy couple, each other’s love and each other’s home!'
While the couple contested the court's characterisation, telling RTL News that the registrar had only asked AI if his text was legally valid rather than drafting it entirely, the ruling stood. The court acknowledged the significant emotional impact of losing their wedding date, and the couple has requested the opportunity to retain their original marriage anniversary.
A Growing Global Trend and Industry Divide
This case highlights a reported global increase in the use of AI by wedding celebrants. A 2025 survey of nearly 6,000 couples by the wedding platform Zola found that 74% were happy to use AI tools for writing toasts and speeches. Opinions on vows were more split, with roughly half of those surveyed supporting AI assistance.
However, the practice faces criticism from within the industry. Independent celebrant Eleanor Willock, 50, told The Times: 'People using ChatGPT has undoubtedly been on the rise over the past year. My job is to write and a lot of celebrants, like myself, are dead against it.' She argued that AI struggles to capture personal hopes, the right cadence, or the emotional depth needed to make such moments truly resonant.
This ruling serves as a stark legal warning that while AI can assist with creativity, the core legal components of a marriage ceremony remain non-negotiable and deeply human in their requirement for clear, intentional declaration.
