Together for Nearly 50 Years, Couple Learns Their Wedding Wasn't Legal

The Redlands couple never got a marriage license, they discovered recently

In 1964 Norma and Bob Clark had a wonderful wedding in Northern California. Everything was perfect.

Nearly five decades later the happily married couple, now in their seventies, lives in Redlands.

While getting paperwork in order in case one of them passed away, they made a somewhat disturbing discovery. They were never legally married, because they had no marriage license.

"I couldn't find it, and couldn't find it for a reason, because it wasn't there," Norma Clark said.

When couples get a marriage license, the person who then marries them must return the license to their county record office, where it becomes a marriage certificate. The pastor who married the Clark's apparently never did that.

Bob Clark went to the San Bernardino County Hall of Records to try to fix everything. The couple first told his story to the Redlands Daily Facts.

"I just went in there thinking I could just do it, and she said, 'No, no, you have to have witnesses,'" Clark said. "Well, you know most people at our wedding are dead. If we had waited a couple more years, we would have been in trouble."

Local

Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.

Weekend races called off at Santa Anita Park with spring storm in the forecast

1 found dead, 1 in critical condition after Pacoima garage fire

Luckily, the Clark's had their old maid of honor and junior usher in town for the holidays. The four of them, among others, finally made it official, as shown in the photo at right.

The Clarks' son, Alex, got to attend the second marriage.

"My sister and I, we just kind of joked that we didn't have to throw them a 50th anniversary party anymore," Alex said.

The Clarks' relatives joshed with them, and Norma Clark said their friends in Redlands teased them, wanting to know when the reception would be.

And they have some advice: Check your marriage license.

Contact Us