History Main / ChildMarriageVeto

* The merchant in ''Literature/Pintosmalto'' really wants his one child to marry. Betta isn't interested, which causes her father grief, but he doesn't force her to anything. The situation is resolved when Betta creates her own husband. Pintosmalto may not have heritage, but the merchant sees he has great beauty and makes his daughter happy, so he gives his blessing.

* Jasmine's propensity towards this is how Disney/{{Aladdin}} gets his foot in the door.

* Merida's efforts in this regard kick off the plot in ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'';
--> "[[RebelliousPrincess I am Merida, firstborn descendant of clan DunBroch]], [[BadassBoast and I'll be shooting for my own hand]]!"
** Later in the film, the three princes competing for her hand [[spoiler: reveal that none of them were keen to marry a stranger either, and happily agree with Merida's suggestion that the tradition be changed.]]

* In the Grimms' tale King Thrushbeard, the protagonist keeps doing this to every suitor presented to her (and also mocks them to their faces, giving the title character his nickname) until her father decides to forcibly marry her off to a beggar just to punish her.

* ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles'': [[RebelliousPrincess Cimorene]] goes to live with the dragons as her way of vetoing her parents' attempt to marry her off to the son of a neighboring king, since she can't stand Therandil. She vetoes further proposals by sending away all the knights and princes who try to come and rescue her, sending most of them off to rescue other princesses instead. In the second book, she finally marries King Mendanbar after legitimately falling for him.

* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' - Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo had arranged for Ranma and Akane to marry. The kids swear they won't because they hate each other, but most people who've seen the series swear it's more akin to AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther.

* Merida's efforts in this regard kick off the plot in ''{{Brave}}'';

* In the flashbacks of ''Series/{{LOST}}'', Sun is very reluctant when her father forces her into a arranged marriage with the son of one of the father's business partners. After a little while she opens up and falls in love in with the guy... but then HE vetoes the whole thing. It turns out that he already has a girlfriend, it's just that he hadn't dared to tell his family about it.

-->-- '''Don Giovanni de la Fortuna'''

* Arianne Martell from ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' has, by the time we meet her, vetoed a large number of marriages that her father, Prince Doran, has proposed. She has also informed her father that she intends to go right on vetoing until he [[OldManMarryingAChild offers her to someone who's still young enough to have some teeth left]]. [[spoiler:It turns out that Prince Doran [[BatmanGambit is counting on Arianne to veto all of his proposed suitors]] so that no one will suspect his plan to marry her to Viserys Targaryen.]]

->''No, father; you may cut off my head, if you choose, but marry that horrible beggar--I never will!''

* In ''[[Literature/IncarnationsOfImmortality With a Tangled Skein]]'', a young woman is ready to commit suicide rather than accept an arranged marriage. She [[TakeAThirdOption winds up as Clotho, an Aspect of Fate]].

* In ''Literature/{{Zemsta}}'', Wacław is very, very not keen on marrying the rich widow Podstolina, as his father wants him to. Though [[MrsRobinson she's all for it]].

* In ''RoyalPains'', Divya breaks off her ArrangedMarriage to Raj, though this comes with the consequence of being disowned by her family and being forced to repay Raj's family for what they put into wedding plans.
* In TheBorgias, Lucrezia starts doing this in the second season, due in no small part to her [[MaritalRapeLicense very unhappy marriage]] in the first season. Her family are not pleased, but by this point she's gotten strong enough that she can only be ''persuaded'' to do something rather than simply ''ordered''.

* ''AMidsummerNightsDream'' -- Hermia's father is so determined to have her marry Demetrius that he takes the case before the Duke of Athens to have her executed, or at least shut up in a nunnery, if she continues to refuse. Hermia and Lysander instead hatch a plan to run off together into the woods. (It is never explained why Hermia's father is so dead set on Demetrius, since the text makes a point of saying the two men are of equal status.)

* Mitsuru's Social Link in ''{{Persona 3}}'' involves the board of directors arranging for her to [[OldManMarryingAChild marry a much older man]] to stabilize the Kirijo Group after [[spoiler:her father's death]]. She seems to have accepted it, but [[spoiler:the main character can convince her otherwise, as she had actually fallen in love with him.]]

* ''AMidsummerNightsDream'' - Hermia's father is so determined to have her marry Demetrius that he takes the case before the Duke of Athens to have her executed, or at least shut up in a nunnery, if she continues to refuse. Hermia and Lysander instead hatch a plan to run off together into the woods. (It is never explained why Hermia's father is so dead set on Demetrius, since the text makes a point of saying the two men are of equal status.)
* In ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'', the main protagonist is Tevye, the struggling patriarch of a poor family. Managing to arrange a marriage between his oldest daughter and the wealthy, older man Lazar Wolf makes him very happy at first. Sure, he doesn't even ''like'' the guy - but Lazar has money and social position that will guarantee that his new wife will never have to starve. When the girl finds out about her upcoming marriage - and this is ''after'' the deal has been made and the men in the village has celebrated it - she takes it very badly. Tevye takes pity on her, sparing her from the marriage. But in this society, letting the wife-to-be have a say in the matter is so shameful that he have to make up a cover story to fool people that it was his own idea to change his mind.

* In Literature/{{Bearskin}}, a man promised that for Bearskin's aid to him, he would marry one of his daughter. The older two reject the notion out of hand, but the youngest agrees.

* In [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/facetiousnights/night4_fable1.html "Costanza / Costanzo"]], Costanza nobly refuses a suitor with merely BlueBlood, even though her lack of a dowry -- her father's realm having been divided into three parts for her sisters' dowry, before she was born -- meant she was unlike to attract a suitor with RoyalBlood.
-->''Next - speaking with [[WithAllDueRespect all submission and reverence]] - I do not purpose to let myself fall be low the race of my ancestors, who from all time have been famous and illustrious, nor do I wish to debase the crown you wear by taking for a husband one who is our inferior. You, my beloved father, have begotten four daughters, of whom you have married three in the most honourable fashion to three mighty kings, giving with them great store of gold and wide domains, but you wish to dispose of me, who have ever been obedient to you and observant of your precepts, in an ignoble alliance. Wherefore I tell you, to end my speech, that I will never take a husband unless I can be mated, like my three sisters, to a king of a rank that is my due.''

* ''RanmaOneHalf'' - Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo had arranged for Ranma and Akane to marry. The kids swear they won't because they hate each other, but most people who've seen the series swear it's more akin to AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther.

* ''AMidsummerNight'sDream'' - Hermia's father is so determined to have her marry Demetrius that he takes the case before the Duke of Athens to have her executed, or at least shut up in a nunnery, if she continues to refuse. Hermia and Lysander instead hatch a plan to run off together into the woods. (It is never explained why Hermia's father is so dead set on Demetrius, since the text makes a point of saying the two men are of equal status.)

* Saint Catherine of Sienna's older sister, Bonaventura, fell victim to DeathByChildbirth. 16-year-old Catherine was supposed to marry her sister's widow, apparently quite the JerkAss; Catherine utterly refused to do so since she had [[CelibateHero already decided to consecrate herself to God]], showing this via first [[ImportantHaircut cutting off her hair]] and later both [[ImNotHungry refusing to eat]] and [[HikikoMori locking herself in her room]] until her parents left her alone.

* In the flashbacks of ''{{LOST}}'', Sun is very reluctant when her father forces her into a arranged marriage with the son of one of the father's business partners. After a little while she opens up and falls in love in with the guy... but then HE vetoes the whole thing. It turns out that he already has a girlfriend, it's just that he hadn't dared to tell his family about it.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Fairy Tales ]]

On hearing this harsh reply, the mother could not say a word. She called her second daughter, and explained her wishes to her; but the younger daughter refused, just as her sister had refused, and she made fun of the man. ''

[[folder: Film ]]

* In ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', King Roland never has to back off from his demand that his daughter shall marry a prince. Sure the horribly boring Prince Valium was the only prince left in the galaxy, but [[spoiler: it turns out that the hero is actually also a prince.]] Problem solved.
* Jasmine's propensity towards this is how {{Disney/Aladdin}} gets his foot in the door.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Arianne Martell from ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' has, by the time we meet her, vetoed a large number of marriages that her father, Prince Doran, has proposed. She has also informed her father that she intends to go right on vetoing until he [[OldManMarryingAChild offers her to someone who's still young enough to have some teeth left.]] [[spoiler: It turns out that Prince Doran [[BatmanGambit is counting on Arianne to veto all of his proposed suitors]] so that no one will suspect his plan to marry her to Viserys Targaryen.]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Theater ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

** Another episode featured the Enterprise transporting a diplomat on a mission to end an interstellar civil war that has lasted for generations by bringing a young woman to be the bride for the opposing faction's leader. It turns out she was created as "the perfect mate", with a blank slate personality; [[UnfortunateImplications becoming the perfect match for any male nearby until she imprints on a husband permanently and gets locked into that personality forever.]] Long story short, Picard has to spend tons of time with her, and she imprints on HIM permanently. It seems like a diplomatic incident is looming since she now loves Picard and not the man she is intended to marry, but being the prefect mate for Picard, her sense of duty is so strong she subverts the trope and goes through with the wedding anyway in order to end the war and save lives.

* ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'': Jerin vetoes a marriage to the [[ExoticExtendedMarriage Brindle sisters]] in advance. His eldest sister (who is in charge of the family at the time) happily agrees, as she doesn't like Balin Brindle, who would be her husband if they swapped him for Jerin. In the backstory, there is Trini's attempt to veto a marriage. Her veto was not heeded, which resulted in a CompleteMonster husband. At the time the story takes place, Trini is widowed and, finally, allowed to veto.