Gretna Green is a parish in southern Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between England and Scotland. Why, you might be asking, should that matter to me as I search for a marriage record?

When the English Clandestine Marriage Act was passed in the 1800s, English couples eloped across the border to Gretna Green to marry. When a couple runs away from where they reside to marry in a place with fewer marriage restrictions, those places have come to be called "Gretna Greens." There could be any number of reasons--maybe the area allows marriage at a younger age, or a shorter waiting period, or no requirement for blood tests or parental consent, or the couple wants the marriage to be a secret.

If you've had trouble finding an official marriage record, look for a local Gretna Green. Here are a few such places:

Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada

For northern Illinois--Dubuque, Iowa

For the state of New Jersey and New York City--Elkton, Maryland

For Mobile, Alabama-- Lucedale, George County, Mississippi

For northern Utah--Evanston, Wyoming or Preston, Idaho

For North/South Carolina--Clayton, Raybun County, Georgia

For northern Washington state--Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

For eastern Oregon--Weiser, Idaho

By no means is that an exhaustive list. More valuable information can be found on Family Search about Gretna Greens in the U.S.