BACK TO THE FUTURE

 

"Sir Humphrey"

"Yes, Minister?"

"Those chaps that converted their Civil Partnership to a Marriage, yesterday..."

"Yes, Minister?"

"What is the date on their Marriage Certificate?"
 
"Well, yesterday of course, Minister."
 
"August 30th, 2017"
 
"Correct, Minister."
 
"So, they were married yesterday?"
 
"Only in a manner of speaking, Minister."
 
"Oh?"
 
"You see, Minister, by section 9(6) of the Marriage Same Sex Couples Act 2013 (subject to any contrary provision made by or under that Act for any particular purpose) the marriage is to be treated as having subsisted from the date on which the Civil Partnership was formed."
 
"Which was when, Sir Humphrey?"
 
"On October 4th, 2007."
 
"So, they were actually married when they became Civil Partners?"
 
"Oh, no, Minister! Same sex couples weren't permitted to marry in 2007!"
 
"But you just said–––"
 
"What I said, Minister was that, 'by section 9(6) of the Marriage Same Sex Couples Act 2013 (subject to any contrary provision made by or under that Act––––'"

"Yes, yes, I heard that, Sir Humphrey! So, are you saying that although they didn't get married in 2007 – because  they couldn't get married – an Act of Parliament passed six years later made it lawful for them to subsequently be considered as being married even though, at the time, it wasn't lawful?"

"In a manner of speaking, Minister, yes." 

"Then, if I understand you correctly, even though their marriage certificate is dated yesterday, 30th August, 2017, they are now said to have become married ten years previously – despite the fact that such a union, on that date, was an impossibility?"
 
"Exactly so, Minister: your grasp of the matter is exemplary."
 
"Which means on 4th October 2017 – just five weeks after the date on their Marriage Certificate, they will be celebrating their 10th Wedding Anniversary?"
 
"Indeed, Minister."
 
"Then, maybe we should send a card to congratulate them?"
 
"Yes, Minister!"



by Brian Sibley & His Husband (from an idea by David Weeks!)
and with respectful apologies to Jonathan Lynn & Antony Jay

Cartoon © Gerald Scarfe

"MY HUSBAND AND I"

What a day! We turned up at Lambeth's temporary Register Office this morning intending to give notice that we we wanted to 'convert' our decade-old 'Civil Partnership' status to 'Marriage' only to find that it was not a future event, but one that happened right there and then!

So, dressed somewhat casually for Our Big Day (as you can see!) we did the deed and – a tad sooner than we'd quite expected – were duly 'converted'!

By a very happy happenstance the Registrar was the same woman who officiated at our Civil Partnership ceremony back in 2007!

Then arriving home – still trying out the sound of "husband" in relation to one another – we bumped into our local vicar (we live next door to a church, you know) who, on hearing the news, instantly laid on an extempore Wedding Breakfast for us in the vicarage –– Gin & Tonics served with hot sausage rolls and tomato sauce dip!!

You know, sometimes, Life just seems to plan itself!

MAY THE BEST MAN WIN...

...and the right man get married!

THE HAPPY DAY

You know how it is at weddings: everyone feels an overwhelming compulsion to take photos and most of them – sometimes including those of the professionals – turn out to be pretty unremarkable other than as aide-memoires of a (hopefully) happy day!

When David and I went to our friends Becky and Graeme's wedding the other week, we clicked off just such a crop of undistinguished snaps, hindered during the ceremony itself by the fact that we were shooting into the dazzling light that spilled into the room from the Thames-side vista outside.

So, how very, very lucky I was to grab this completely unposed picture of the radiantly beautiful bride...

Click to view at larger sizes

You can view more of my pictures on my flickr Photostream.

Images: © Brian Sibley 2010