Marriage Declarations?

Question

Looking for a marriage, and I found a newspaper note.  The couple is listed in a "vital statistics" article under the heading "Marriage Declarations".  But the article has another section titled "Marriages". So does anyone know how a "Marriage Declaration" is different than a "Marriage"?  Would the date under "Marriage Declarations" be the actual date of the marriage?

Answer 1

A marriage declaration would be like an intention. Depending on the era, place, religion, etc., it could be a bond, a license, a religious intention (like Quakers) or publishing of banns or even an engagement.

It would not be the actual marriage, which could have taken place any time from days to months later, depending on what you're looking at.