Trying to tie up a loose end with this query - I offered to check the 'Notice of Intention to Marry' (NIM) for this couple, held at Archives NZ (these come from the Registrar-General's Office). There isn't one!

Until 1880 the NIM is an Excellent source to check - a couple had to register their intention to marry with the local Registrar of BDM at least three days before their intended wedding date. They gave the Registrar some info: names, ages, occupations, marital status, place of residence, length of time in NZ, where/when intending to marry and name of Minister or Registrar. This info formed the NIM.
If one of the parties was under 21 years then the details of a person who could give permission for them to marry was also recorded, e.g., parent, older sibling, or, as often happened, 'no person in the colony' (great catchall if you've run away from home!).
The marriage certificates would often record a person's age as 'full' or 'minor' BUT the NIM would usually give the actual age particularly for a minor (of course, a lot lied!). The NIM would state the details of the person giving permission, this usually wouldn't appear on the certificate altho' that person was often a witness and so appeared there.
Ministers (and local Registrars) sent copies of the marriages they had performed to the Registrar-General(RG) on an ongoing basis. These were 'married up' (no pun intended!) with the NIM Registers.
If a marriage entry turned up and there was no corresponding NIM the Minister would quickly get a short sharp letter from the RG asking what was going on as this was illegal. Also if a NIM was issued and the marriage didn't proceed, the Minister would be asked what had happened - the couple decided not to marry, the groom got cold feet, an angry spouse or parent(usually of an underage girl)turned up, etc.

A Minister marrying a couple without seeing the NIM bought into a whole bucket of trouble. The NIM Registers show entries where a marriage didn't proceed because the couple turned up without the Notice.

There isn't a NIM entry for Benjamin Bullen and Charlotte Bennett. This may be because they married at a new Registry Office and the Registrar didn't realise he had to send copies to the RG. Or the copies may have been lost in the mail and the RG didn't realise they were lost because there hadn't been any from that office before. A new country, lots of new settlements, difficult mail system - can all conspire to make things disappear.

When the place/date of marriage is known, the NIM can be rechecked - no returns from that office, then they didn't arrive and we can check the local Registrar's letter books for a sharp letter from the RG! If there were returns from the relevant office, it may be that the local Registrar made an error copying them from his Register to send to the RG.

Elli