Thoughts of an Authorised Person

 On Friday, 13^th May, I had the pleasure of being the Authorised Person (AP) at Alan and Helen’s wedding.

The previous wedding, according to our Registers, was on 15^th July, 2000, and was conducted by our minister at the time, Revd. John Crocker. He had also signed the Registers as the AP. John left us in December, 2002, but I have correspondence which shows that George Smith was already an AP in August 1999. George recruited me as an Additional Authorised Person in March, 1998, so he must have already been in harness before then.

As we all know, George and Sheila left us last year, and in October, 2010, I was appointed to the position of Responsible Authorised Person.

So what does the AP do? I well remember George telling me: ”You just have to attend the wedding and make sure that the couple say the Declaration and the Contracting Words.” Yeah. Right!

The ‘Guide for Authorised Persons’ says that ‘the responsibility of the AP is to ensure that the legal requirements of marriages solemnized in a registered building are met; this includes marriage preliminaries, authority for and registration of marriage.’ This guide is a very useful Vade Mecum, which leads the novice AP through the procedures.

The couple will first each have obtained a certificate from the Superintendent Registrar, who will have checked details of identity, address and so on. The AP takes these certificates and then establishes with the couple all the items that have to appear on the Register, including fathers’ names and professions, and whether they are active, retired or deceased. The AP also finds out the names of the witnesses and how they sign their names—he has to write them on the copies later!

At the wedding, the AP has a lot of writing to do. The Marriage Registers cannot be made up until the Contracting Words have been said – at which time the couple is legally married – but a start can be made on the certified copies before this time, as it is easy to cancel a copy; not so for the registers which are all serialised! Hopefully, there is a hymn which gives added time for the writing.

Then, with both Registers (yes, two!) completed, and the certified copies written out in full, the AP meets the couple at a convenient table – in our case the Communion Table – and the two registers are signed, first by the groom, then the bride, then the two witnesses, then by the minister and finally by the AP. The certified copies are given to the Best Man for safe keeping and for giving to the newly-weds at an appropriate time.

I want at this time to express my gratitude to Sandra Dunstan, who recently retired from her job as a Registrar. Sandra was of great help to me, both before and during the wedding, explaining the various procedures, and what to do if mistakes are made, and with many anecdotes, amusing and otherwise, from her years of experience. Sandra was actually sitting beside me during the wedding, and watching as I wrote up the registers and the copies, and I was very grateful for her support.

And that’s nearly that. But once a quarter, the AP has to make a return to the Area Registry Office – in our case, to Weybridge – and advise them of any weddings that have taken place during the last three months. And, in early July, I will be able, for the first time in 42 quarterly returns, to tell them that we had a WEDDING! So, thank you, Alan and Helen, for this opportunity!