Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: Jim Irizarry, Assistant Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
(Redwood City, CA) – For those looking to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day, look no further. The San Mateo County Clerk’s Office is ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a procession of new marriages. The department’s main office which is located on the first floor of the San Mateo County Clerk’s Office at 555 County Center in Redwood City will extend its hours on February 14th to perform civil ceremonies for couples wanting to marry on this special day. From 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., the County Clerk’s Office will perform a ceremony every half hour.
“Valentine’s Day is the most popular wedding day of the year — every year,” according to Mark Church, San Mateo County’s elected Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer. “It is a very special day and we will be extending our office hours to accommodate the increased demand for wedding ceremonies,” stated Church.
The County Clerk’s daily average of weddings is four per day, and that number can double on Valentine’s Day. In 2018, eighteen weddings were performed on Valentine’s Day and it is expected to be fully booked for the 2019 celebration.
San Mateo County offers a 25-minute civil wedding ceremony which provides unique amenities not normally found in a standard rented location. For an additional fee of $50, the County Clerk’s Office provides a webcast service, so that the ceremony can be seen electronically by invited loved ones viewing from anywhere in the world. Online guests will receive an e-mail invitation with instructions for a live viewing of the ceremony. The fee for the webcast includes a DVD of the wedding ceremony. A long stem red rose will also be presented to all couples who wed on Valentine’s Day.
Ceremony reservations are required in advance. Wedding ceremonies are usually performed by volunteer wedding commissioners duly authorized by the County Clerk. Most of the volunteers do it as a labor of love. Couples can make prior arrangements with the County Clerk for the ceremony to be performed by a person of their choice — a friend, family member, or colleague — who must be deputized by the County Clerk. The chapel is located in Redwood City’s County Center, on the first floor of the 555 Building. The County chapel can accommodate up to 25 people.
Hopeful couples are reminded that a wedding cannot be performed without a marriage license. The license application may be completed in the County Clerk’s office or be submitted online (in-office public terminals are available). The couple must appear in person in front of the county clerk and provide proof of identification. The application process takes about 30 minutes and costs $79, plus $15 for a certified copy.
To schedule your special Valentine’s Day ceremony, please visit the County Clerk’s website at https://apps.smcacre.org/marsched/schedule.aspx.