Wedding Date Leak: How Did They Know?

There are many ways to find out someone's wedding date. Marriage dates are public records, and in some cases, they are published in the local paper and online in the month after the wedding. If the marriage was recent, you can find the date by searching online or through a specialist website. You can also try typing the couple's names into a search engine. If the marriage was not recent, there is no national index of marriage certificates or licenses, so you must request this information at the state or county level. You can do this by going to the county records office or courthouse, or by searching through church records, military records, census records, family histories and biographies, or the International Genealogical Index.

Marriage certificates and records

Marriage records and certificates are public information in some countries, including the US and the UK. In the US, marriage certificates are issued by the County Clerk's Office in the county where the marriage occurs. The certificate is issued when a filled-out marriage license is returned for recording after a marriage ceremony is completed. The marriage license is a legal document issued by a government or authorised agency that gives couples permission to marry.

In the US, marriage licenses are obtained from the County Clerk before the wedding. Both parties must be present with identification documents and pay the required fee before the license is issued. After the marriage ceremony, the officiant and witnesses to the marriage sign the marriage license, and it becomes a marriage certificate.

Marriage certificates typically include:

• Full names of the spouses
• Date of the marriage
• Location of the ceremony
• Names of the marriage officiants or witnesses
• Signature of registrants and witnesses

In the UK, marriage certificates are issued by the local registry office in the district where the marriage took place. The certificate includes:

• Full names of the couple
• Date and place of marriage
• Names, professions, and ages of the couple's fathers
• Names, including maiden names, professions, and ages of any previous spouses
• Usual addresses of those getting married
• Whether they were married by banns, licence, or certificate
• Signatures of the couple, witnesses, and person who conducted the ceremony

If you want to find out someone's wedding date, you can try searching for it online. There are websites that allow you to search through marriage records, but they often charge a fee for their services. You can also try searching through online databases of marriage records held by US states and counties. Additionally, some local newspapers publish wedding announcements, which may include the date and location of the ceremony.

Online agencies and databases

Online Agencies

Online agencies can search through marriage records for you, often for a fee. You can find them by searching for "marriage record checks" or "background checks". Before employing an agency, be sure to research the company and look for one with positive feedback and a good reputation. Some agencies may offer free trials or a limited number of free searches, so it's worth checking if you only need to look up one record. Most agencies will require you to sign up for an account and provide personal details. They may also offer additional services such as complete background checks or allow you to pay for a certain number of searches.

Government Databases

Government agencies are another source of marriage records. In the US, marriage records are kept by the government or local authorities as proof of marriage and are considered vital records. These records are often accessible online through official state websites or third-party services. However, some states may have restrictions on who can access these records, while others may provide them to anyone who can provide sufficient information and pay the required fee.

In the UK, marriage records are easily accessible from multiple sources. The UK Government website has a section dedicated to researching marriages and other civil records. The National Archives is another excellent source, maintaining copies of almost every public record in paper, microfiche, or digital format. Regional offices may also be a good place to start, as they can help you research local and national records.

Genealogy Websites

Genealogy websites are also a great resource for searching old marriage records. These sites have digitised millions of marriage records, making them easily searchable by name and location. However, keep in mind that you may need to pay a subscription fee or sign up for an account to access all the available records.

Local newspapers and announcements

Historically, between 1215 and 1563, couples were required by the Catholic Church to give notice of their intent to marry. This practice, which gave communities the opportunity to object to a marriage, continued during America's Colonial period and by the mid-1800s, these announcements were being published in newspapers. By the mid-19th century, wedding announcements had become a way for high-society individuals to publicise their marriages to other prominent people.

Today, wedding announcements in local newspapers are more of a tradition than an expectation. They are not required, and many couples don't even consider them because they are no longer a societal norm. However, some couples still choose to announce their weddings this way, especially if they want to include everyone who wasn't invited to the wedding itself.

Newspapers usually charge a fee for wedding announcements, which can vary depending on the publication. Local newspapers may publish announcements for free, but larger publications, such as the Chicago Tribune, can charge upwards of $1,800. The New York Times also accepts submissions but does not charge a fee, although submissions may be more competitive.

When submitting a wedding announcement to a newspaper, it is important to follow the publication's guidelines and submit all the required information. This typically includes the full names of the couple, the date and location of the wedding, the names of the parents, and a brief overview of the couple's relationship history. It is also recommended to submit announcements early, especially for popular newspapers, as there may be large lead times.

In addition to newspaper announcements, local newspapers often published lists of marriage licenses issued by the county court clerk. While these do not guarantee that a marriage took place, they can provide a starting point for researchers looking for marriage records, especially if the existing records have not been indexed or are missing.

Church records

• The date and place of the wedding
• The names of the bride and groom
• The names of witnesses to the wedding, often relatives
• The church of the wedding ceremony
• The name of the minister or priest
• The county where the marriage took place
• The ages, birth dates and places, occupations, and residences of the couple
• The names and birthplaces of the bride's and groom's parents

In the US, if you are looking for information on a wedding that took place before the twentieth century, it is a good idea to try and check church records, which in some cases go back to the 1600s. To find the church records, you will need to know where the person lived, as well as the denomination of the church they attended. Church records are generally kept in churches and their archives, at historical and genealogical societies, and in libraries. If the church doesn't hold the archives, the headquarters of the denomination may do.

In Germany, church records (or parish registers) are an important source of genealogical information before civil registration began. They record details of baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials and are usually maintained by the parish. Most church registers are still maintained by the parish, and information may be obtained by writing to the parish. Parish employees will usually answer correspondence written in German.

Census records

• The Federal Census in the United States has been conducted every 10 years since 1790, and the records are released to the public 72 years after they are taken due to privacy laws. As such, the most recent census available as of 2024 is from 1950.
• Censuses from 1790 to 1840 provide more limited information, listing only the head of the household and the number of people in the household. Starting in 1850, censuses began collecting more detailed information, including the names, ages, and genders of each family member.
• To find a person's wedding date, look for the "Number of years married" field in the 1900 and 1910 censuses, which provides an approximate marriage year. The 1930 census also asks for the age at first marriage, which can be used to estimate the marriage year.
• Censuses from 1850 to 1880 also ask whether a person married within the census year, which can help narrow down the marriage date.
• If you know the birth year of the couple's first child, you can estimate the marriage date to be one or two years prior to that year.
• Censuses also provide information on birthplaces, which can help locate the family in earlier censuses and identify potential marriage locations.
• Online census records are available on several websites, including FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, MyHeritage.com, and Findmypast.com. These websites offer search tools to help locate specific individuals within the census data.
• When searching, keep in mind that there may be errors in the information due to enumerator mistakes, informant errors, language barriers, or deliberate false information. Try different search strategies, such as using wildcards or searching by surname only, to account for potential variations in spelling or name changes due to marriage.

Frequently asked questions