Choosing a witness for your marriage documents

Anyone can be a witness provided they are over 18 years of age and they were actually present at the ceremony and witnessed the bride and groom sign the document.

The two witnesses are the official legal witnesses to the marriage under law and their presence serves a legal purpose. The purpose is to be able to swear in court as to the identify of the parties or to testify to the circumstances in which the ceremony was performed, including the date and place.

Whilst not essential, it is tradition to choose one wedding witness from each side of the family. Many couples wrongly believe that the witness to the marriage MUST be the chief bridesmaid and the best man.  This is incorrect.


If truth be told, there is no right or wrong way to choose the witnesses for your marriage certificate – it is very much a matter of personal preference, but if you are struggling here are a couple of pointers....

1. Choose the witness together with your fiance. This can avoid any conflicts between you and your partner.
2. Your first option could be to choose the person/people who are the least contentious, i.e. the people who will be the most accepted by those not chosen as a wedding witness. Typically, a sister or brother will be more ‘put out’ if you don’t choose them than a friend will be – likewise your friends are more likely to understand that a relative has been chosen to perform the duty than if you were to choose another friend over them.
3. Your second option could be to allocate additional duties to those not chosen as a wedding witness in lieu of the register signing duties. Think about what duties these could be (a reading at the wedding etc.) and select the best person for them - the ones who don't get allocated additional tasks could be your wedding witnesses!
4. The final option is to swerve members of the wedding party altogether. Grandparents, Auntie's and Uncles are always a good bet for a wedding witness, or if this is likely to cause issue too, then simply opting for the mom's is always a good alternative. If you head down this route then symetry is always recommended (i.e. the Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom, the Grandfather of the Bride and Grandfather of the Groom etc.) to avoid any potential issues.

If this doesn't work for you, try writing the first five names that come to mind, and ask your fiancé to do the same. Then out of those names, have a talk with your future hubby about which two people have been the most supportive of your relationship.

Remember - If you are considering using someone other than a member of the bridal party (siblings or close friends), make sure that your photographer is aware of who will be signing and ensure that you have a photograph with them at that moment.