Would you be a witness for a couple you dont know?

[Netcurtainnelly]

There's a register where you can sign up and if a couple havent got a witness for their civil partnership you can volunteer to be one.

There is no payment. Its just like doing a favour I suppose.

Would you do it?
Be a witness for a couple you dont know?

I would. I think it would be random and fun.

No. I wouldn't want to in case they turned out to be terrible people.

I guess you wouldn't know though would you?

Yes - why not? So long as I thought it was legal, I’d have no problem with it - all you’re doing is witnessing their signature.

If I lived next door to the registry office then I would. I'd hope they'd buy me a pint though!

I wouldn’t sign up to be on a waiting list but if someone needed a witness there and then I would do it. I suspect that only happens in films though

I've done it once or twice when I had the time, as I used to pass the register office in the Town Hall on foot on my way to work in an old job, and not infrequently encountered frantic brides and grooms waylaying passersby in the square outside. But that was an individual decision each time depending on whether I had meetings etc, and often I said no.

I don't think I'd want to be on a register, no. When we got married, we'd have preferred not to bring our own witnesses but the staff clearly warned us that they couldn't supply witnesses as too many office admin staff were getting behind on work from being hauled out as witnesses and it was now policy they weren't available, so, warned in advance, we brought two friends who were free at short notice!

Why would that matter? You’ll never know and at least they would have found each other!

Are terrible people not allowed to get married? It's what my MIL calls not spoiling another pair 😁

Yes. We had a random witness at our wedding

Not at all! I used to be asked quite regularly walking past a pretty, Victorian Town Hall register office when I passed it on my way to work in a job I worked at between 2014 and 2019.

I was a witness for a MNetter’s wedding years ago. I didn’t know her but it was lovely to be involved in someone’s special day. I would do it again.

Would you want to be in the photos?

If two people are getting married without anyone else present from their actual lives, there aren't usually more than a couple of pretty casual snaps! I don't think we took any at ours, for instance...?

I think I took photos of the couple a few times, but often I just signed on the dotted line, said 'Congratulations! I hope you'll be very happy!' and dashed off to work, or back to work after lunch.

I think if they wanted a quick photo for their memories, then yes I would.

I've witnessed any number of legal documents for people I don't know (part of my job) so being a witness at a wedding or civil partnership is not an issue for me.

Couldn't be arsed with signing up on a waiting list tho'.

As a teenager during the school holidays I worked in the council office next door to the register office. It was quite common for one of the receptionists (because they could be covered for a short time by one of the office juniors, and they were always smartly dressed) to be witnesses if they needed some.

I always wanted to do it but was never asked - they always shared out the job to whoever was the most smartly dressed on the reception team that day . Discovered later that the main receptionist had thought you had to be over 18, not 16, hence 17yo me was never asked.

I would happily do it now :)

Ah yeah it would be a bit of craic.

When we married in London in 2012 it was made very clear to us in advance that the council offices could not supply witnesses. And neither could the fire brigade! Apparently people were in the habit of asking firefighting staff from the station next door to the town hall when they couldn't get office staff or passersby...