Can I find out date of parents marriage?

[trulli]

Hi,

Don't know if this is the right section but my sister is turning 40 this year and my mum was pregnant with her when they got married. So as they must be celebrating their ruby wedding this year we wanted to do something special but can't remember the date of their anniversary. Is there a way to find it out without having to ask them? There are no relatives to ask.

[shammydodger]

Yes

You can check the marriages registration index from the National Records Office. They are sectioned into quarters (March, June, September and December) and are available to view online on several sites. One such site is

ancestry.co.uk

You can sign up for a free fortnight's trial and gain access to the birth/marriage/death indices (I think!)

Search under both your mother's and father's full names. The references should coincide, and the surname of the partner will be given alongside, so that you know you have the correct entries. Having got the reference, you can then apply to buy the certificate (again, several sites allow this) or, if you know the parish where they were married, you could consult the local newspaper for that area at the time, or apply to the local register office for the certificate.

[carolegif]

You could try this site, but it is a bit slow at the moment www.freebmd.org.uk or you can try the ancestry uk site, but you have to pay there.

carolegif

[dot.hawkes]

can't you remember when they had their Silver Wedding? Your sister would would have been 25, can you not recall what you did then?

[trulli]

We just bought them a present (think relatives gave us the date then) we can remember month but not date. They got married at my local registry office.If I ring them would they be able to tell me?

[shammydodger]

It's unlikely they'd give out that information free of charge. You'd have to fill out an application for the full certificate and hand over �7. As they are still alive, you may also be asked to provide proof of your own identity and relationship to them.