A Canadian
couple have released a video of
the completely inadequate wedding officiator who not only ruined
their ceremony, but it was also unauthorized to marry them.
Jessica
and Casey O'Donnell, from Peterborough, Canada, were married in August
in Kijiji and hired an officiator named George T. Casselman online to
oversee their ceremony and legally confirm their nuptials.
Mr O'Donnell said he delivered a 'trainwreck' at the altar and the video makes for excruciating viewing.
A Canadian couple have released a
video of the completely inadequate wedding officiator who not only
ruined their ceremony, but it was also unauthorized to marry them
Jessica and Casey O'Donnell, from Peterborough, Canada, were married in August in Kijiji
They hired an officiator named George T. Casselman online to oversee their ceremony and legally confirm their nuptials
Casselman misplaces the rings, and then drops them, before asking where they are as the crowd laughs.
He also forgets his place in his book as he repeats lines, but insists it was because someone had 'messed' with his book.
He even mispronounces words and adds his own spin on traditional phrases.
At one point he loses his place in his notes, prompting the confused bride to mutter, 'Couldn't you just make it up?'
When
he finally gets to the end of the ceremony he announces: 'Ladies and
gentlemen, I give you great honour and great joy and privilege to
announce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Jessica O'Donnell.
The exasperated groom is then seen shrugging his shoulders - 'I'm taking her name,' he says
The 27-year-old bride describes the whole experience as 'mortifying.'
'He just dropped the ball completely,' M O'Donnell told The Star. 'It seemed like (it took) an eternity.'
The couple got engaged in February and in April they found Casselman's post 'The Wedding Officiant,' online.
They
paid him a $75 deposit on a total fee of $250 but the couple said when
they suggested a dress rehearsal, Casselman told them it was
unnecessary.
He also forgets his place in his book as he repeats lines to the bemused couple
He even mispronounces words and adds his own spin on words
Casselman misplaces the rings, and then drops them as the couple become more perturbed by his behaviour
Following
his conduct at the wedding, they were so incensed that they tried to
contact him and he finally responded three days later with a text
message in which he explained he should have done a rehearsal.
He
also refers to 'my heart diabetes,' claiming he had a 'mild heart
attack' after the ceremony, and that he is 'truly sorry about that day.'
The
couple refused to pay Casselman his entire fee after the ceremony, and
demanded their deposit back which they did not receive.
But
this week they got a further shock when they received a call from
Service Ontario telling them Casselman was not authorized to marry
people in the province.
The exasperated bride turns to look at her bridesmaids as the series of gaffes continue
Casselman asks the couple where the rings are - after already dropping them
The
O'Donnells say they now have to go to family court and apply for an
'order of validity' to finally make their marriage official, an ordeal
Casey expects to cost 'about $500.'
Cynthia
Vukets, spokesperson for Service Ontario, declined to speak
specifically about the Casselman-O'Donnell case, but she told The Star
couples such as the O'Donnells are still considered legally married, but
they must apply to the courts to 'determine that the marriage is valid'
before the province can recognize the union.
It is a crime in Ontario, to knowingly 'solemnize' a marriage without the authority to do so.
Casselman
told Mr O'Donnell via text message this week that he was certified by
the 'United National Church of Canada' - the website states it will
'ordain' people to perform marriages for $139.99.
But the organization is not authorized to certify marriage officiants in Ontario, Vukets said.
Casselman did not return The Star's request for comment - and the United National Church was unavailable for comment.
The 27-year-old bride describes the whole experience as 'mortifying'
At one point he lost his place in his notes, prompting the bride to mutter, 'Couldn't you just make it up?
When he finally gets to the end of the
ceremony he announces: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I give you great honour
and great joy and privilege to announce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Jessica
O'Donnell'
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