Monday Weddings

Each day of the work week has a pattern at the Marriage Factory.  As Joe has told us often, Fridays are insanely busy, and he loves it.  I used to do Wednesday and Monday afternoons.  Wednesdays were slow but not dull.  Monday afternoons were busy.  Now I work Monday mornings from 8:30 to 12:30.  Usually nothing much happens until 10:00 or 10:30.

Not this week.  People were waiting to get in when I arrived.  I had my first wedding at 9:00 and had done 3 others by 10:15.  I left at 12:20 and I had performed 8 ceremonies.  One of the clerks did a couple of Spanish weddings.  Not a huge rush, but constant.   When I left the next volunteer had a license in her hand, another dropped on the desk, and 4 were in the queue.  She was really going to have a busy day.

Some of us wondered if we were so busy because it was the last day of June.  Were they all rushing to have a June wedding?  So I thought I would ask.  Lawyers have a saying, never ask a question you don't already know the answer.  I asked a couple if they just wanted to have a June wedding, and the bride said, " I wish.  I have to have an operation and I have to be married to be on his insurance."  I felt really pushy then and hated I had asked.  She later told me they already had deposits paid for an October wedding and were still going to have the "party" then. 

Two men from Maryland were my 9:00 wedding.  Both were very dapper in matching grey suits.  I asked if they had come because of last week's Gay Pride celebrations.  They laughed and said they had arrived last night, and didn't know about Gay Pride week.  They had just decided since they had to fly somewhere to be legal to marry, they would come to Oakland and visit a friend.  I asked what all they were doing during the visit.  One of them said getting married and then we fly out at 2:00 this afternoon.  I was a little surprised, big expense to fly here for less than 24 hours.  There are much closer states to marry in.  They said no expense, they worked for Southwest airlines.  So fly to Oakland, visit a friend, get married with no wait time or appointments needed, fly home and go to work Tuesday.  Love is amazing.

More later this week about some of the other weddings.