Obtaining the wedding license

I think most people would agree that in the city, dealing with government offices can be an unpleasant experience. The lines are long, the wait is long and people are unabashedly cranky. Sometimes you get the feeling that the city worker is so miserable that they are nasty to you to make you miserable too. I always try to be pleasant, but sometimes that just seems to make them more nasty.

So I was surprised to see that going to the Marriage Bureau in the City Clerk's office was actually a pretty pleasant experience! We wanted to get there early to avoid any lines, so we arrived about 10 minutes before the office opened. There were already about 3 or 4 couples waiting in front of us. As we waited in line, more couples arrived and some arrived with a few family members. Once we were let in, a huge hallway opened up in front of us, with big, bright windows on the right and large, towering columns on the left. We were asked to have our IDs out, which were checked as we came in. The man at the desk asked us what we were here for and then directed us to the back with a number. We sat on a couch as we waited for our number to be called. We didn't wait very long and the lady at the window that handled our case was very nice and sweet. She greeted us with a happy "good morning" and sent us off with a cheery "congratulations." Certainly not the experience I would get at the DMV! The actual process was very fast, aided by the fact that we had already started the application online. So basically all we had to do was give the lady our SSNs, confirm the information they have is correct, sign a form, pay the fee and voila! A marriage license was printed out for us to take home! So from arrival to departure, the whole thing took about 30 minutes.

Some of the things we saw there was really cool, fun and amusing. There is a Chapel Clerk there that can marry you that day if you wanted. The city store had fresh flowers already bundled into little wedding bouquets and boutonnieres. They also had folders, cases and frames for your marriage certificate if you were marrying that day, as well as silver and gold wedding rings, and even fake diamond ones! I thought about buying the flowers because I kind of wanted to mark the occasion with something pretty, but we ended up buying a bride and groom set of rubber duckies that we will use on our wedding cake. It's silly, I know, but they are really cute! The marriage bureau is definitely a business, with everything you need for a makeshift wedding. Lol! They even have this little photo nook that has a backdrop of city hall! Hahaha!

So I have to say that it was actually kind of fun! Of course, we went really early so I can't attest to a good experience later in the day. Still, I'm sure it is a better experience, even when it's busier, than trying to obtain a passport or driver's license. :-)