Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman at Marylebone Register Office on 12 March 1969.
Although the event was supposed to be a secret, many onlookers and reporters heard about it and turned up for a glimpse of the couple. The registry office had been booked the previous day, and McCartney had bought a £12 ring “just before the shop shut”.
We were crazy. We had a big argument the night before we got married and it was nearly called off. We were very up and down, quite funky compared to the eventual image of ‘Twenty-five years of married bliss! Aren’t they lucky for people in showbiz?’ But we are. You get this picture of us swanning along in a little rowboat managing to avoid the white water, but we were right in the middle of that white water, man, so it’s even more miraculous that we made it. But we did.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
To avoid the crowds the couple entered the register office via a side door. None of the other Beatles attended the ceremony, but McCartney’s brother Michael and The Beatles’ assistant Mal Evans acted as witnesses.
I really don’t remember whether or not I invited any of the band to the wedding. Why not? I’m a total bastard, I suppose – I don’t know, really. Maybe it was because the group was breaking up. We were all pissed off with each other. We certainly weren’t a gang any more. That was the thing. Once a group’s broken up like that, that’s it.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
Mike McCartney’s train broke down during his journey from Birmingham to London, and he arrived an hour late. Although he presumed the wedding would have finished, he took the waiting limousine to the registry office, where he found huge crowds of weeping fans. Inside Paul and Linda were waiting for him to arrive.
After the ceremony the wedding party went to St John’s Wood Church where the marriage was blessed by Reverend Noel Perry-Gore.
Marylebone Register Office is today known as Westminster Register Office, and is based at Westminster Council House, Marylebone Road, London.
Also on this day...
- 1971: UK single release: Power To The People by John Lennon
- 1970: George and Pattie Harrison move into Friar Park
- 1969: George and Pattie Harrison’s home is raided by the Drugs Squad
- 1969: Mixing: The Long And Winding Road, Let It Be
- 1964: Filming: A Hard Day’s Night
- 1963: Live: Granada Cinema, Bedford
- 1962: Live: Kingsway Club, Southport
- 1961: Live: Cassanova Club, Liverpool
- 1961: Live: Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
He DID invite George Harrison. This was the same day as the drug bust, so George didn’t make it to the ceremony but was there at the reception.
On page 57 of Paul’s tour program from the ’89-’90 tour there is a photograph of Ringo with Paul, Linda, Heather and Mal Evans together on the wedding day. (I don’t know if it’s at the ceremony or the reception.)
George didnt go to the reception because he and Pattie was held at the police station for hours and when Paul was getting married George was at Apple working. George went to a party in the evening with Pattie but it wasnt anything to do with Pauls wedding. Non of the Beatles were invited because Paul wanted to keep his wedding quiet. Its all in Pauls book Many Years From Now and the Beatles Anthology book.
Apparently he also said it was because they were all pisssed off at each other,which makes sense.
According to his book “The Love You Make” Peter Brown was also there.
You can see him in the 3rd pic behind Paul.
You see Linda with a Kitten, did they take their pets? The dog barking is that Martha?
It looked like Thisbe.