When We Are Married by J. B. Priestley. Short summary

5 seconds

Three couples of friends got married on the same day in the same chapel. Twenty-five years later, they celebrate their anniversary together. It turns out that their marriages are invalid because they were performed by a person who was not ordained.

1 minute

Three married couples, the Heliwells, the Parkers and the Soppites, who are longtime friends and were engaged 25 years ago on the same day in the same chapel, get together at the home of Councilman Joseph Heliwell. The pals want to celebrate a common silver anniversary.

The heroes soon learn that their marriage is not considered legal because the marriage was performed by a man not ordained in the clergy. The couple are all horrified at what their neighbors will think of them now.

As time passes, they begin to rethink their marriages. Events are closely watched by an angry housekeeper, who tries to exploit the humiliation of the couple for her own gain, and a tipsy photographer. The latter wants to record what is happening for future posterity.