British Vicar Under Investigation For Throwing Child Out of Wedding

Church officials in England are investigating a couple’s complaint that a Vicar ruined their wedding by throwing their 2 year old son out of the church. The toddler was repeating his father’s name over and over. A relative who protested the ejection was also asked to leave. Here is what the bride had to say:

‘The ceremony was ruined for me with all the stress and because my son, Cameron, was not there. It was supposed to be my special day, but everyone was talking about what had happened. I wish we had gone to a register office. It’s not unexpected for a child to talk during a wedding - that’s what two-year-olds do. No one else minded, but the vicar stopped everything and said he couldn’t carry on. Then a relative stood up to say the boy was doing no harm and she was asked to leave, too.’

Was the Vicar within his rights to do what he did? We’ve all been in situations where we wish a noisy child would be dealt with, but in this case, since no one minded but the Vicar, was it appropriate? At my wedding the 2 year old son of my husband’s cousin babbled in baby talk during our ceremony but it didn’t bother us. This story brings the age old debate of whether babies and small children belong at weddings or not. Personally, as long as they aren’t screaming and crying to the point where they are drowning out the ceremony, I don’t see any problem with it. I think it depends on the bridal couple, and on the temperament of the child or children in question. Some are more able to handle a long ceremony, strangers, and crowds better than others. In this case, seeing that the bride and groom were the child’s parents and that neither they nor the guests were bothered by his baby talk, the Vicar should have simply ignored it and kept on with the ceremony. Perhaps he has a low tolerance for children or was having a bad day? It’ll be interesting to see how the investigation ends up. What are your thoughts? Was the Vicar right or wrong, and why?