"It's a national problem, not a Delaware problem," he says.
Matrimony needs brides, grooms and that all important marriage license. Officials say 3,500 times a year, happy couples come to the New Castle County's Marriage Bureau to get one. In most cases, by the time the big day comes, that license is filled out by whoever marries the couple and then promptly sent back to Boulden's office all nice and legal.
But Boulden says a couple dozen of times a year, signed marriage certificates don't make the round trip to his office. He says that can cause problems down the marital road.
"Say a couple must have a certified copy of their license for health benefits, Social Security or even a divorce. But if their minister didn't return it, Boulden says there could be trouble: "We can't give them (a) certified copy because we have no record they were ever married."
Boulden blames an upswing in the number of internet ordained ministers who either don't know they are obligated to do the legal paperwork or just don't want to do it.
"Too often people have internet ordination don't want to deal with our office," Boulden cautions.
Marriage Bureau staff can help reconstruct a marriage certificate but it's complicated. Boulden's solution: He wants the state to set up an official online registry of those who can preside at a wedding, and understand their obligations. There would be a fee, but he thinks it would go long way to reducing problems for married couples down the road.
