Choosing Your Perfect Wedding Date: A Guide To Checking Availability

There are several ways to check someone's wedding date. Marriage dates are a matter of public record, so you can find them by searching online, checking local newspaper archives, or visiting a county records office. If you're looking for a recent marriage, you can try searching online through a specialist website or using a search engine. For older marriages, you may need to consult church records or county court records. If you're looking for your own wedding date, you can also consider symbolic dates, seasons, and availability when choosing a date.

Online agencies

There are a number of online agencies that can help you find out when someone got married. These agencies can search through marriage records, and you can find them by searching for "marriage record checks" or "background checks" in a search engine. Before employing any agency, be sure to do some research and look for one with positive feedback and a good reputation.

To sign up for an online account, you'll need to provide your personal details and agree to a payment option. Membership is often based on a subscription, but sometimes you can pay on a pay-as-you-go basis. In the UK, for example, a subscription could cost you £15 a year, or £5 for three months, with a limit on the number of searches you can perform.

To search for a marriage record online, you'll generally need the person's full name and the city and state the marriage took place in. Some sites will show you which years are available to be researched in a particular state. You may also be able to pay for a complete background check, which will give you other personal information in addition to the marriage date.

County Court and Church Marriage Records

Marriage dates are a matter of public record. If you are looking for a recent marriage date, you may be able to find it published in the local paper or online in the month following the wedding. However, there is no national index of marriage certificates or licenses, so for older or less recent dates, you will need to request this information at the state or county level.

Marriage records are held by the County and are usually stored with the clerk of the town or county where the bride resided. Some early records may be housed in the state's archives, while more recent records may be found in the state's Division of Vital Records.

County Court Records

County marriage records are usually stored with the clerk of the town or county where the bride resided. You can search for these records online through your county clerk's website, or in person at the county records office or courthouse. To do this, you will need to know the names of the couple, the place of marriage, and ideally, the approximate date of marriage. You may be asked to pay a fee for performing the search.

Church Marriage Records

If you are looking for a marriage date from before the 20th century, it is a good idea to check church records, which in some cases go back to the 1600s. To find these 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, try contacting the headquarters of the denomination.

Local newspapers and announcements

Local newspapers are a great way to find out about a wedding date, especially if you are looking for announcements from the past. Wedding announcements have been a tradition in newspapers for centuries, and while they are no longer a societal expectation, they are still common for prominent figures and those who want to follow the tradition.

Most newspapers have a daily or weekly section dedicated to wedding announcements. Traditionally, these announcements are placed in the newspapers of the bride's hometown and/or the location of the wedding. If you are looking for a current wedding announcement, consult the table of contents of the current local newspapers to find the wedding announcements section.

You can also search for past wedding announcements by looking through the newspaper's online archives, the library, or the Library of Congress Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room. Local historical societies may also have marriage announcements that are at least 100 years old or involve a famous person.

If you are looking for an ancestor's wedding announcement, you may be able to find it in old newspapers. These announcements often include valuable details such as the names of the bride and groom, their parents' names, addresses, biographical information, and even pictures. They can provide clues to guide your family history research and help you uncover unknown stories about your ancestors.

When searching for wedding announcements in old newspapers, here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Try searching by the last name as well as maiden names if you are unable to find your ancestors by their first name.
• Use dates and locations to focus your search.
• Cross-reference announcements of other families to find additional information that may not be included in other records.
• If you can't find a record of the marriage, search for divorce notices to track down court records or a wedding date.
• Search church newsletters and bulletins for formal announcements to wed.
• Use military records, such as pension applications, as an alternative source of marriage records.

Newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times offer wedding announcements for a fee, while some national newspapers like the New York Times offer free submissions, although these may be more competitive. Local newspapers may also offer free wedding announcements, but this may vary depending on the newspaper. Be sure to check the submission guidelines and requirements, including lead times, photo requirements, and format expectations, as these can differ for each newspaper.

Vital records

Online

You can start by searching online indexes and digital images. Some states will have online marriage indexes, which can be searched through an online database. However, not all states have these indexes, so you may need to try other methods.

In Person

If you can't find the information online, you can visit the county records office or courthouse in person. Marriage licenses, which show the date of marriage, are given by the county clerk, and a search can be conducted at the County Recorder's office. You will need to know the names of the couple, the place of marriage, and approximately when they were married. There may be a fee for performing the search, which can be done online or in person.

Church Records

If the marriage occurred before the 20th century, church records are a good place to look. These records generally go back to the 1600s and can be found in churches and their archives, at historical and genealogical societies, and in libraries.

Other Sources

There are also other sources that may provide information about a wedding date. These include wedding and anniversary announcements, obituaries, pension applications, naturalization records, deeds and other court records, oral history, family Bibles, diary entries, letters, and other family papers.

Family Bibles

When you cannot find family Bibles among your own family members, check with genealogical societies in the area where the family lived. They may have or be aware of the location of local Bible records. When you are searching for Bible records, be sure to look under both the maiden name and married name.

Next, search through the transcribed Bible records belonging to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). These transcribed Bible records are available at the DAR library in Washington, D.C., local DAR chapters, and on microfilm through the Family History Centers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

To find an individual's wedding date in Bible records that are no longer in the family's possession, you must at least know either the bride's full married name or maiden name, or the groom's full name, as well as the state and county in which they lived.

Frequently asked questions