Love was in the air today at the Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder’s Office, where scores of local couples exchanged wedding vows as part of the annual Valentine’s Day rush.
Offered on Feb. 14 each year, the express marriage service allows couples to tie the knot without an appointment. Many couples came by themselves, while others were joined by friends, family and their children in county’s wedding chapel.
By the day’s end, the county issued 41 marriage licenses, performed 17 chapel ceremonies and 22 express ceremonies. That’s a slight decline compared to past years.
The county typically performs around 23 marriage a day, but the office always sees that number spike during the holiday. Last Valentine’s Day, 61 marriages were performed. In all of 2017, the office issued 10,676 marriage licenses, scheduled 4,522 ceremonies and performed 2,941 express marriages.
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- Carla and Renan Modesto, who hail from Sunnyvale, said they tied the knot on Valentine’s Day because the Monday before was already booked. “She’s lovely,” Renan says. “She has a heart as big as her. … I can’t stop thinking about her.” (Photo by Vinny Maxwell)
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- Celia and Helen registered as domestic partners on Valentine’s Day 10 years ago. They decided to celebrate by officially getting married. They were witnessed in the chapel by their two sons and other close friends and family. (Photo by Stephen Perez)
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- Robert and Shelly have been together 13 years and decided to get married on Valentine’s Day so they “wouldn’t forget the date.” Afterwards, they celebrated with friends and family with a dinner party at Maggiano’s Little Italy on Santana Row. (Photo by Stephen Perez)
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- Diana and Sal have only been together five months but decided to get married the morning of Valentine’s Day—without mentioning it to any family or friends. (Photo by Stephen Perez)
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- Gary and Jasmine came by themselves and decided to get married a day before Gary’s birthday. They have been together for eight years. They celebrated after the ceremony with a romantic dinner. (Photo by Stephen Perez)
