Halloween Weddings

I have done marriage ceremonies on Halloween before.  I even wore a Widow's veil with the skulls of my husbands arranged in a pyramid on top of my head, a lovely look.  Couples and their guests came in costume.  As one groom said, "If you're marrying on Halloween, why wouldn't you dress up?"

Sadly yesterday no costumed couples.  And there weren't many couples for me.  During the morning there were 7 weddings.  I arrived and it ground to a halt.  I finally did 2 ceremonies, and L did a few in Spanish. 

The first wedding the bride and groom laughed and laughed.  Everything set them off.  We are talking major nervous laughing.  Then we started the vows, she laughed and then she would cry, and then she laughed some more.  The crying won out.  They were a somber couple by the end of the ceremony.

The second couple the groom was 25 and the bride was 44.  Usually age differences don't bother me, but this one did, this was the bride's fourth marriage.  It just looked like red flags going up everywhere. They managed to tick me off immediately.  I called their names, (they are the only group in the lobby I knew it had to be them) no response.  I called their names again and a woman walks up.  I ask if she is P, no she is over there.   Finally I have a bride, I asked where the groom is.  Over there.  What is wrong with these people?  I introduce myself to the bride and groom, ask if they are ready, is everyone here.  Yes and yes.  We load the group on the elevator and go to the wedding room. Things go down hill from here.

Please, mute your phones.  A phone rings and this dumb s#** answers it and starts talking loudly.  I gave him the stare of death and he left the room.  I call the bride and groom up, no bride.  They don't know where she is.  One of the women says she went to the bathroom.  OK, I 'll just ask the groom the usual questions, do you have rings.  And some woman starts answering the questions.  I told her it wasn't her wedding and let the groom speak. He says yes we have rings.  We run through my rules and questions. Still no bride.  Finally she strolls in.  We begin, phone guy still out in the lobby talking.  He eventually strolls in and joins us. 

I begin the ring ceremony and the groom says, "We don't have rings."  He had told me they did, I asked what is going on.  "Oh, we don't have real rings, we have plastic spider rings."  I tell them rings are a symbol and a token, we can do spider rings.

The ceremony is OVER.  I sign the license.  As the witness is signing, a guest looks at the license and says, "That isn't a confidential license.  They wanted a confidential one."  Then the bride says she wanted a confidential license, please get the license changed.  I told them I didn't think after the marriage it could be changed without a court order.  I would go check with the marriage desk.  I talk to C she agrees with me.  But will check with the higher ups, who aren't answering their phones.  She does know the couple will have to buy a second license and no refund on the first.  C is going to track down her superior while I tell the couple they will need to buy another license.  When they hear they will have to pay out more money, suddenly they are just fine with the license they have.

I was very glad to see the back of this group.