Make Valentine's Day Count With Santa Clara County's Help

SAN JOSE, CA -- Love knows no boundaries -- but it does come with significant dates.

Valentine’s Day continues to be a favorite time to get married, with dozens of couples expected to exchange vows at the Santa Clara County Government Center on Thursday.

A typical day records about 20 marriages for Santa Clara County. The number nearly doubled last year on Valentine's Day with 39 couples exchanging vows.

The Office of the Clerk-Recorder is making it easier than ever for couples to exchange their marriage vows through civil ceremony options. These include an Express Marriage Ceremony Service at the customer service windows, which doesn’t require appointments, as well as nuptials hosted by the county’s wedding chapel. The latter accommodates up to 22 family members and friends.

“The Clerk-Recorder’s Office performs twice as many marriage ceremonies on Valentine’s Day than other days of the year,” County Clerk-Recorder Gina Alcomendras said. “We are ready to help couples celebrate this special day.”

In 2018, the county issued 10,355 marriage licenses and performed 1,431 ceremonies.

Leading up to their nuptials, couples can save time by filling out and submitting their marriage applications online before coming to the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office. The online application is available at www.clerkrecorder.org (click Marriage Services and Applying for a Marriage License) or by visiting http://bit.ly/MarriageApplicationsOnline.

The office of the Clerk-Recorder is located on the first floor of the east wing in the Santa Clara County Government Center at 70 W. Hedding St. in San Jose

A standard marriage license is $80, while a confidential version costs $83. Marriage licenses can be issued on the day of the ceremony. Walk-in couples may choose the Express Marriage Ceremony Service to have their ceremony performed at the service window for $120, plus the marriage license fee. Express ceremonies are paid at the time the marriage license is issued.

The fee for a ceremony in the county's one wedding chapel is $80. It must be paid in person before the date of the ceremony. Up to 17 ceremonies per day can be performed in the chapel. The chapel holds 22 people and is located on the lower level of the county government center at 70 W. Hedding St. Elevator and stair access is available. Ceremonies can be scheduled for weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.

Information regarding the county may be obtained by visiting http://www.sccgov.org.

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