Marriage Certificates

What can I find on a Full Marriage Certificate?

A full marriage certificate will give you:

Date of marriage
Place of marriage
Marital status of the bride and groom whether by banns, licence or certificate
Current address and occupation of the bride and groom
Names and ages of the bride and groom
Names and occupations of their fathers ('full age' indicates that the person was over 21)
Names of witnesses

Why would a Marriage Certificate be useful to me?

A marriage certificate will give more information about the bride and groom, including the bride's maiden name in some cases - this can allow you to trace your ancestors back from the bride as well as the groom.

How do I order a Certificate?

Certificates in England or Wales can be ordered online through the GRO (General Register Office). To order a certificate, simply follow the instructions on the GRO website, supplying the necessary data and a GRO Index reference.

The full reference is usually a volume and page reference or an 'entry number' for later records, given with the year, quarter and district. This can be found by viewing the full record detail when searching BMD records online (see the case study for an example). Events from the last 50 years will require you to supply more information at application stage.