There is no clear consensus concerning the exact date of the Joseph Smith-Fanny Alger plural matrimony by those who later wrote or reminisced on it. Eight of the twenty documents discussing the marriage provide dating information, with four indicating it occurred as early as 1833 and four supporting a marriage two years later. Despite the inconsistencies, an 1835 or even 1836 date seems most likely.

While the precise timing of the ceremony is not recorded, the dating of the discovery of the relationship is more easily identified.

. . . . If Emma discovered the relationship in 1836, the possibility that Joseph and Fanny had been secretly married for several years without prior detection seems less plausible, considering the close living quarters and the lack of privacy. This observation, coupled with the 1834 timing of the first angelic visit, points to the marriage beginning in 1835 or early 1836.