Help please! Is this an index number that I can use for the GRO website?

[Snooks1971]

I am so new to this, please help. I am trying to order a copy marriage certificate for my parents’ upcoming milestone wedding anniversary. I have accessed the freebmd website - does this image show the GRO ref number needed (it’s an example of what came up).

Image under review!

Thank you if anyone can help this numpty.

It looks like it is.....can you ring them and double check?

Thank you - yes good idea!

@Snooks1971 they are usually very helpful ..... good luck x

Sorry @shellyleppard me again (I’m not usually this thick!) Do you mean ring the freebmd line or the actual Gov.org where I order the copy certificate from?

As long as you have the year then that is enough.

What you need is the first name and surname of one of the people who married.

To take the top example in that image it says Neville Shooter. That will do for the name.

You then need the year that it was in, I presume you know that?

You then need the quarter. I can see from the image that is says "Marriages registered in Jan ..."

So the quarter will be Jan-Feb-Mar

What you need then is the District, Volume and Page number. Which for the example at the top of the image is Ilkeston 3A 916.

So, if you were looking to order the marriage certificate for the entry at the top of that image you would need

Name: Neville Shooter
Year: Whatever year it was
Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Ilkeston
Volume: 3A
Page No: 916

and that is all you need.

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/app_select.asp

@Another2Cats this is utterly amazing and thank you so much for taking the time to type this. X

No problem at all. But just one little thing I'd like to point out.

"...for my parents’ upcoming milestone wedding anniversary."

I remember that my parents thought about doing something similar with each of their own parents.

But, after digging into it and getting the marriage certificates, my dad found out that his mum was seven months pregnant with him when she married his father (my granddad). That really did come as a bit of a shock to him.

I think the only reason my paternal grandmother married my paternal grandfather was because she got knocked up by him (long story as to why that may be the case).

A similar thing happened on my mum's side of the family as well. My maternal grandparents married in May and my grandmother gave birth to her first child in July.

Depending on how old your parents are and how long there may be between the date of marriage and the birth of the first child, if it may cause any sort of embarrassment then you might want to think twice about this.

@Another2Cats oh my, awkward!

It’s funny that you mention these scenarios; I was discussing the 60th Anniversary Buck House cards with a close work colleague this week. She recanted how a very good friend of hers did the same - got a copy of the certificate, didn’t really scrutinise it…sent it off…. Yes you’ve guessed it. Parents only married for 59 years. Preggers up the aisle. It remains the parents’ secret bless them.

But thanks for the pause for thought - mine married in 1965 obvs, my eldest sister born in late 68 - hopefully we are good to go