What is the minimum number of witnesses necessary for the sacrament of matrimony to be considered valid?

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What is the minimum number of witnesses necessary for the sacrament of matrimony to be considered valid?
 
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I’m gonna make a totally uneducated guess and say “zero”, based on my perhaps mistaken understanding that a man and woman stranded on a desert island can validly enter into a sacramental marriage.
 
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Searching1 said:
What is the minimum number of witnesses necessary for the sacrament of matrimony to be considered valid?
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Regarding Catholics, valid form requires the Church’s representative (priest, deacon, or designated lay person) and two witnesses unless the Church representative cannot be present (per the specific reasons in canon law) then two witnesses only.

https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P40.HTM

Regarding non-Catholics, whatever the state requires (unless their religious community has a form of marriage, then the Church would recognize that).
 
I read the canons you linked to. From what I read, there are no circumstances under which having one and only one witness being present for the ceremony would render a valid and/or licit sacrament of matrimony.

Am I correct in this reading would you say?
 
Searching1 said:
I read the canons you linked to. From what I read, there are no circumstances under which having one and only one witness being present for the ceremony would render a valid and/or licit sacrament of matrimony.

Am I correct in this reading would you say?
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Two witnesses are the requirement.
 
That is a disciplinary matter, though–witnesses weren’t required by the RC until about even centuries ago.

At that, the requirement was that a priest witness the vows, as there was a problem with young people disappearing, and upon return telling conflicting stories as to whether or not they had exchanged vows.

This led to a new about, in which young couples who could;dn’t get parental approval would brea into the rectory in the wee hours, wake the priest, and exchange vows in front of him while he was still coming to his senses! 😱

The Vatican moved in, well, it’s normal time, to deal with this, adding the requirement that the priest request the vows. (“Normal” meaning it was in the revisions in the early 80s or late 70s . . .)
 
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