Dutch court voids marriage after AI written wedding vows used

A Dutch court ruled on January 7 that a Zwolle couple marriage was invalid after their AI written wedding vows failed to meet legal requirements. The couple held an informal civil ceremony in Zwolle in April 2025 and asked a friend to officiate, who used ChatGPT to help compose the vows. Judges said Dutch law requires couples to declare they will fulfil all legal obligations, citing Article 1:67 of the Dutch Civil Code. The ruling quoted the vows, asking, "Do you promise to stand by (women's name) today, tomorrow, and forever?" and declaring them "not only husband and wife, but above all a team." Because that wording skipped the legal declaration, the court said the marriage certificate was erroneously recorded in the civil registry. The couple asked to keep their original date, saying changing it would hit them emotionally, but the court replied it could not ignore the law. Romance, it ruled, cannot autocomplete statutes.