[BOURNEC]

Does anyone know how to resolve an issue of a marriage not being recorded? We have the license, but the pastor never sent it to be recorded with the court clerk. Now we can't get in contact with the pastor who performed the ceremony. Please any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

[artistall]

There should be record of marriage appointments made by the pastor at the church in which you were joined together. Contact the church where your vows were taken and follow up through the church administration office. You should also be able to trace the pastor through license registration records. Even if the pastor is out of state you should be able to search the internet to find him. Unfortunately he may not remember or have the original documentation of the marriage so ultimately it may be necessary for you to marry again! If he was of a common denomination then it will be easy, however, if he was a non-denominational pastor then it may be more difficult! Good Luck!

[Taodesuki]

These may be things that you've already tried but here goes:

Have you asked the court clerk what the next step would be?

Have you determined whether your marriage is legal without it being recorded properly? It might still be legal - this is a tricky part of the law since you believed you were entering into a legally binding contract on the day of your wedding, regardless of the neglectful pastor.

Have you talked to anyone about tracking the pastor down? Did he just disappear suddenly - could he be involved in fraud? If it really means a lot to you then you might want to start checking on a private investigator, tracking down family members, etc. You might want to do an online directory search using his name and any other info you have to see if you can locate a phone number or address.

Because recording the marriage is part of the duty, he has made himself open to litigation so you might want to consult with a lawyer as well. If you do track him down and fraud of some sort was involved then I would definitely consider this option or you may want to just let it go after informing the proper officials (be it church or police).

Have you checked to see if the pastor was properly licensed to marry you in the first place? The paperwork necessary to legally marry someone differs from state to state. Sometimes a reverand or pastor must file an additional form or present certain certifications in order to marry others.

If, in the end, you cannot find the original paperwork needed to file with the court you might want to consider a civil ceremony just to make it official for the records but the vows you said on your wedding day will always remain the beginning of your marriage.