A court in the Dutch city of Zwolle has ruled that a couple’s marriage was never legally valid, after finding that their wedding vows—written with the help of artificial intelligence—failed to meet the country’s legal requirements.
The couple believed they were officially married following a small ceremony held in April 2025. Wanting something personal and informal, they chose not to use a licensed civil officiant and instead asked a close friend to conduct the service.
To prepare for the occasion, the friend relied on an AI chatbot to help draft the wedding vows. While the ceremony appeared heartfelt, the court later found that a crucial legal element had been overlooked.
In its ruling on Tuesday, the court said Dutch law requires couples to explicitly declare that they accept and will comply with the legal duties and obligations that come with marriage. That declaration must be clearly stated during the ceremony for a marriage to be legally recognised.
Because the AI-generated vows focused on personal expressions of love rather than the required legal commitment, the court concluded that the marriage did not meet the formal standards set by law.
The judges noted that while couples are free to personalise their ceremonies, legal requirements cannot be replaced or omitted, regardless of how sincere or well-intentioned the event may be.
The decision has sparked discussion in the Netherlands about the growing role of artificial intelligence in personal and legal matters, and whether technology-driven convenience can sometimes clash with long-standing legal frameworks.
For the couple, what they believed was a binding union turned out to be symbolic rather than lawful—highlighting that, at least for now, love alone, even when beautifully written by AI, is not enough in the eyes of the law.
