Thank you for all the replies

biscuit.lover

Hi guys.

I'm so pleased to have opened an interesting discussion but I'm still travelling to my wedding location today and will go through with everything except the official bit (which we will do later). 

It was a blessing in disguise as we would not have wanted to do anything criminal.

I'm naturally devastated but will make the best of it. 

X

MovingForwards

Copy what your solicitor did and contact the courts/LA to ask them for confirmation as to whether your OH did get married or not.

You can do a search for a marriage certificate spanning a few years, but even doing an urgent request may not have the results in time. Look on the registrar's site for that area he apparently got married in for further info.

Turn your property upsidedown to see if you can find the original letter from your solicitor.

74jax

If someone said I was married and I wasn't I'm not really sure how I'd prove it either.
Surely the accuser needs to prove they are married, otherwise how do you prove something that isn't?
What has the Registrar asked for as evidence of a non marriage? With only today to go you are better off asking what they want and do that.
If they have evidence you are married (I'm guessing it's not just word of mouth) then you can use that piece of evidence to discredit (but you need to know what evidence they are showing). 
Failing that, can they still carry out a wedding service, you do the day as planned, and then when it's sorted go to registrars for the official actual wedding service? (just an idea for an option b, which I appreciate you don't want to consider). 

lr1277

I am confused. Say someone got married in the Bahamas, Vegas or Goa, their marriage would still be valid in the UK. I didn’t realise there was a need to also get a certificate in the UK.
Was a marriage certificate in the country where the alleged marriage took place ever written?
Is there a spouse somewhere in the world thinking they are married to your fiancé?
I suspect the definitive answer is to show there is no marriage certificate in the alleged country of marriage.
Suspect that can’t be done by Friday but what do I know.
Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

elsien

lr1277 said:

I am confused. Say someone got married in the Bahamas, Vegas or Goa, their marriage would still be valid I’m the UK. I didn’t realise there was a need to also get a certificate in the UK.
Was a marriage certificate in the country where the alleged marriage took place ever written?
Is there a spouse somewhere in the world thinking they are married to your fiancé?
I suspect the definitive answer is to show there is no marriage certificate in the alleged country of marriage.
Suspect that can’t be done by Friday but what do I know.
Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

It depends on the country and type of ceremony. As Jerry Hall found out to her cost. It’s not always so straightforwards. 

Keep_pedalling

What country was this ceremony held in?

comeandgo

What about the other person who took part in the ceremony, his wife, or not.  Would she be able to help confirm if she believes she is still married or has she now married someone else too?  

biscuit.lover

Thank you for the replies.  I'll read them after speaking to a solicitor this morning.  

TonyMMM

A marriage in another country is generally automatically recognised as valid in the UK, if it is done legally in the country concerned and complies with their marriage law at the time. There is no need to register it in the UK , or any way of doing so ( there used to be an option to deposit a copy of the foreign marriage certificate with the General Register Office, but that is no longer possible).

Some countries have difficult or costly restrictions on foreigners getting married - they may require a period of residency, or charge a high licence fee, so in many cases a couple may choose to have a "wedding ceremony" abroad that doesn't have any legal validity, but actually get legally married back in the UK before or afterwards.

He can't prove he isn't married ....he will have to explain what sort of marriage ceremony he went through, where it was, and why it wouldn't be valid in the UK. 

He would also have been asked if he had ever been through any form of marriage ceremony before when he gave notice to marry - if he said no, then that is another problem ( potentially an offence of perjury).

Has the authority for the marriage on Friday been withdrawn ? That would be normal until such time as this is resolved - it might then involve going the through the notice process again.

Pollycat

Does anyone else find it shocking that somebody can just pop up and disrupt wedding plans by stating someone is already married?
Shouldn't they have to explain/prove their allegation?
They could just be acting out of malice.
74Jax asks some very good questions up-thread.

TonyMMM

The marriage law in this country has always (at least since 1753)  been based on the public openness of weddings and that anyone has a right to raise an objection - hence the "giving notice" or having banns read procedure, and the formal asking if anyone objects during the ceremony itself.

If someone was acting out of malice, it would usually be possible to establish that very quickly and the wedding could go ahead, but in this case there doesn't appear to be any denial that he did go through some sort of marriage ceremony, so the onus is now on him to fully explain why that is not valid in the UK. As it appears he may well have lied when giving notice, the registrars will want to look very closely at what happened.