In looking at the Derde proclamatie marriages, I thought that it might shed some light on the problem of why of the Brethren marriages are listed as Derde proclamatie if I included this passage from "Counting the Cost" that relates Alexander Mack's initial experience with marrying a couple in Surhuisterveen. "Counting the Cost" -- William G. Willoughby (1979): Pages 108-109. "In early 1721, Mack baptized a young Dutch convert, John Juriens, who was probably a Mennonite. The service was held at a large pond in the Kortwalde, several miles east of Surhuisterveen. John Juriens had announced his intention to marry Anna Catherine Kipping, the daughter of John and Joanna Kipping, who were two of the original eight baptized at Schwarzenau." "When John and Anna Catherine came to Mack to announce their plans, Mack had a new decision to make. It was customary in both the Dutch Reformed and the Mennonite churches to have engaged couples proclaim their 'intentions' three times publicly before the wedding. Mack could have used either of these churches as a vehicle to record the bans. He decided not to do this. Not wishing to endanger or compromise the autonomy of the New Baptist community, he decided instead to go with the engaged couple on April 28, 1721, to a local government official where the first marriage proclamation was duly recorded in the secular records. A week later he appeared with them for the second proclamation. On May 19, they appeared for the third time, as was required by custom, and on this occasion Mack married them in the presence of the government official and his secretary, who served as witnesses. This was a decided break with Dutch tradition."