The Clerk of Courts for the Fourth Judicial Circuit has added another service to its Marriage License Department— wedding packages!
There are three packages that couples can choose from ranging in price from $50 to $125. All packages include a ceremony in the lush garden-style wedding arbor and feature options such as videographers and photographers.
The Clerk of Courts began offering the ceremony packages Valentine’s Day of 2008 but just recently, their popularity skyrocketed.
Cliffanne Williams, special assistant to the Clerk of Courts, admits that business was slow in the beginning. But now she says it’s anything but slow.
“Now we do anywhere from three to even 20 ceremonies a day,” Williams says.
Williams sees people from all walks of life and backgrounds come to marry and have their ceremony at the Courthouse.
“We see young couples, elderly couples and terminally ill,” Williams says. “Depending on the couple, we can all get pretty teary-eyed. I really enjoy seeing their smiles and when the macho men start to cry.”
Williams says a lot of people are surprised when they first see the arbor.
“Some people think they’re going to just be in a room with only a judge,” she says. “But when they see the wedding arbor, they’re shocked. No one could ever tell you were in a courthouse.”
Williams says the other misconception people have is who performs the ceremonies.
“We have four clerks who perform the ceremonies but a lot of people think they’re done by notaries or ministers,” she says.
Williams knows of several reasons why couples choose to get married at the Courthouse.
“Some do it because they want to avoid all the hoopla, others have already had a big wedding and some do it for basic financial reasons,” Williams says.