Romantics around the state can now enter a competition to design a new marriage certificate for New Hampshire.
It all started with a garage sale. Kristin Martino, State Registrar and Vital Records Director, was shopping for antiques when a slightly moldy piece of paper caught her attention.
She realized that the document — with ornate illustrations of a wedding ceremony, cherubs, and wreath — was an old New Hampshire marriage certificate issued by a church to Frank Gookin and Alice Batchelder of Salisbury back in 1886.
Martino was struck by the beauty and preciousness of the document. The current marriage licenses issued by the state are not as romantic, she explained.
“It’s just an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. And it prints out, it's got our state logo on it. It's got the blue around the edges, the pink interior watermarks … You don't necessarily want to frame that,” Martino said.
She wanted to figure out a way to offer an heirloom certificate option for newly married couples in the state. That’s how the idea for the competition came about.
New Hampshire residents aged 18 and older can now submit their marriage certificate designs on the Secretary of State website. The competition will close on September 5 and a winning design will be picked shortly after.
“I maybe have a bit of a love for older records to begin with that other people might not, but to just know that there is something that's so beautiful and intricate that just marks an important milestone in someone's life … I just think it's an important way to remember and cherish that,” Martino said.
The only guidelines for the design is that it should be non-religious and capture “the beauty of New Hampshire,” Martino said. Especially in the summer months, she added, the state is a famous wedding destination.
All couples will continue to receive the state issued marriage license, but the new design will be available for purchase for $25 starting next year. An artist statement will accompany every heirloom marriage certificate sold.
