I married my first wife in 1974 and I need the date and month for the home office
Think it was August the 20th but have lost my marriage certificate
Can I find the dates with out paying silly money thanks

You can get a copy of your marriage certificate at the courthouse of the county you were married in, and there may be a fee, or you can browse the records at your local library, and make a copy they may charge you but such fees are not silly if you need the data for the job.

I recently needed a copy of my marriage license for health insurance purposes (married same year as you). I was able to get it from the county Vital records dept. the fee was nominal ($10 as I recall).

Same here, although many things are online. Also it is listed in the divorce reocords if you have a copy of your lawyer has a copy