Love is in the Air

Valentine's Day may mean mushy cards, flowers and boxes of chocolates to you, but to some County workers it means weddings - and lots of them!

The Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk’s (ARCC) Office is gearing up for one of its busiest wedding days of the year. More than 100 couples are expected to get marriage licenses and recite their vows at the County Administration Center or a branch office in San Marcos and El Cajon. In preparation for this big event, ARCC recruited volunteers and reassigned staff members to act as deputy marriage commissioners to make sure all the bridal couples who come in can tie the knot.

While appointments at three offices are filling up fast, the downtown office at the CAC is taking walk-ins as well. That means if five couples walk in just before closing time at 5 p.m., staff will make sure the bride and groom get the wedding they will always remember.

Sometimes, it’s the deputy marriage commissioners who remember the special day. A few years ago on Valentine’s Day, one enterprising gentleman asked his girlfriend to meet him in Room 273 at the CAC. She agreed. Little did she know she had entered what insiders call the ‘Marriage Room.”  She walked in and he popped the question. “He went out on a limb and she said yes,” said Sandra Banaga, ARCC Assistant Division Chief. “They got married right then.”

Banaga will tell you her staff members have seen it all. Some weddings are big family affairs; others are just a party of four, marriage commissioner, witness, bride and groom. Some couples go all out in the traditional formal dresses and tuxedos, or they show up in shorts and t-shirts. No matter, it’s all about the time honored tradition of saying “I do.” And County staff members can’t help but get caught up in the excitement of the special day too. How many other people spend their day at work saying “I now pronounce you husband and wife?”