Two Mondays Weddings

Last week I did not have time to write about the weddings.  This week one day is already down.  So here are Monday and Monday. 

Monday 1, the county has a new hire in Vitals.  She is young and eager to learn everything.  The lead clerks asked if I would help the new hire D to learn about marriage ceremonies.  I showed her what to check for on a license, how to fill in the paper work, and then had her observe several weddings.

D saw a variety of couples/weddings.  She found out we never know if we'll do a wedding or not.  No body wanted to get married for the first hour, then we had two weddings.  Then nothing for nearly two hours and we were slammed.  At 10 minutes to 4:00 (our cut off time for being in line to be married that day) I had three licenses handed to me. So D and I didn't go back to my desk. We just called names and took couples up.  We had 40 minutes at least of weddings to do. And later at 4:20 another license was brought up from my desk and given to me.

The first wedding D observed was very emotional.  This couple was dressed up, he in a suit and she in a black chiffon dress with a jeweled neckline.  She carried a red and white carnation bouquet.The couple were in their 50's.  The groom choked during the vows.  He could not speak, he was crying, the bride teared up, and D was about to lose it.  The groom pulled it together and was able to finish his vows.

The second couple had a confidential license (no witness required, all info sealed and only available through a court order).  The bride wore a white brocade suit that had a ruffle down the lapels. They wrote their own vows, very touching and again D was near tears.

In our late afternoon rush we had a fun wedding.  I asked if they had rings for the ceremony.  No rings, something better:  cigar bands.  That was so cute and fun.  Several of the young and foreign born clerks did not understand why a cigar band. They hadn't seen the old movies of eloping couples using a cigar band for a ring. 

Clerk M came upstairs with a a couple and their license.  She said this is Nona and Paul.  I said I have the next license for Nona and George.  M said this is Nona, but the groom said ,"I'm not George, I'm Paul."  Two brides one name.  We made sure the grooms had the right Nona and finished up the day.

Monday 2 was really really slow. I had one ceremony and the only interesting/strange thing about it was the license.  The clerk W brought me the license and said this is a mess.  The couple had bought the license weeks ago.  When they came back for the ceremony, the groom handed the clerk the license except it wasn't an original, it was a photocopy.  W asked where is your original.  He said that is it.  Finally he dug through his pockets and found the license.  It had been folded at least 5 times, creased all over and the sides were bent to almost a ruffle.  It had been stapled, and there were raised bumps all over it.  The bumps felt and looked like braille, but weren't. 

I said that I didn't think Sacramento would take it.  W didn't want to deal with it.  So I took it and the couple upstairs.  I showed it to the marriage desk clerk and she said ,"Oh, I don't like this.  I"ll reprint it."  Now they could have done that downstairs, but who knows why they didn't.

D can not wait to be sworn in as a Deputy Marriage Commissioner.  She loves all the types of people that pass through the wedding room.  She will be good at it  and we have the bonus she speaks Spanish also.  She has no idea how much she will be called on.