Couple flock to Norwalk to tie the knot on Valentine's Day

NORWALK – Amorous couples looking to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day were able to obtain a marriage license and get hitched all in the same location Wednesday at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office in Norwalk, and nearly 80 newlywed couples took advantage of the offer.

Same-day marriage licensing and civil wedding ceremonies were offered at the office’s Norwalk headquarters at 12400 Imperial Highway from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

According to the clerk’s office, a total of 78 couples took advantage of the same-day services. Another 99 couples were married Wednesday at other clerk’s offices throughout the county, for a total of 177 weddings on the day.

The county charges $35 for a civil wedding ceremony. A marriage license costs $91, but a confidential license costs just $85.

On Valentine’s Day last year, 140 couples took advantage of the same- day licensing and ceremonies in Norwalk -- where usually about 30 ceremonies are performed on a normal day. Another 73 couples were married on Valentine’s Day 2023 at the various registrar-recorder offices across Los Angeles County.

In Orange County, the county Clerk-Recorder offered extended hours at offices in Anaheim, Laguna Hills and Santa Ana, where civil ceremonies were offered until 6 p.m. A final number of civil ceremonies performed in Orange County Wednesday was not immediately available.

The OC Clerk-Recorder’s office has conducted 628 marriage ceremonies on Valentine’s Day since 2019. In 2019 there were 114 ceremonies; 194 in 2020; 17 in 2021 during the pandemic; 150 in 2022; and 153 last year.

The numbers of marriage licenses issued in Orange County on Valentine’s Day have been: 154 in 2019; 258 in 2020; 21 in 2021; 215 in 2022; and 188 last year. The OC record on Valentine’s Day was 2014, when 310 marriage licenses were issued and 266 civil marriage ceremonies performed.

In Orange County, a public marriage license is $61, and a confidential license is $66. The civil ceremony costs $28.

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