A judge refused to marry this couple because the groom turned up at the registry office dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies while the bride was wearing a traditional Northern Spanish costume as opposed to a white wedding dress.

Juan Alberto and Maria Salinas, age not stated, had arranged a third attempt at getting married after COVID-19 foiled their first two plans. They were set to get married at a registry office in the Vigo municipality of the Northern Spanish autonomous region of Galicia last Saturday (24th April).

The couple wanted to fulfil a life long dream of getting married in costumes, and Juan planned to dress as Captain Jack Sparrow whilst Maria wore a traditional Galician dress.

They hoped the untraditional wedding would entertain their children whilst getting guests to donate money to charities chosen by the couple.

However, for a third time in a row, their wedding failed to take place, and in a Facebook post Juan explained that the judge took one look at the couple and said that the wedding would not take place unless they dressed ‘properly’.

The couple, who well known around Galicia for their ‘Paper Elephants’ foundation which works with disadvantaged children, says that Juan even offered to remove his wig and hat but the judge was not interested in cooperating.

Juan said that: “The Judge had made his decision before even talking to us.”

The couple claims that they had prepared all the necessary paperwork for the wedding after it had been delayed twice due to COVID-19.

Juan explained that he often wears pirate costumes when working with refugee children at the Greek Idomeni refugee camp where he has volunteered in the past, with many of the children calling him “Pirate” instead of Juan.

They wanted the wedding to be an opportunity to generate donations to three separate charities, asking their guests to make donations as supposed to buying them wedding gifts.

Local news outlet Atlantico reports that the court claimed that there is a legal directive that forbids anyone wearing a “costume” from entering the building.

However, the couple says that the court has in the past allowed couples dressed in costumes to marry and as a result, they have filed a complaint.

The couple’s lawyer, who filed the complaint on their behalf, said that several notaries and judges have reached out to him saying that what happened was completely illegal and the wedding should have gone ahead.

Several other courthouses have now reached out to the couple offering to marry them, however they have refused as they want their wedding to take place in Vigo.

The couple have booked their fourth wedding, this time for 26th May, at the same courthouse, and while they were advised to go without disguises but the couple is adamant that they will have their dream wedding with Juan dressed as Captain Jack and Maria in her traditional dress.