COVID-19 not stopping people wanting to say ‘I do’
SYDNEY — The impact of COVID-19 might be stopping some things in Cape Breton but apparently not people wanting to say, “I do.”
Glenn Tutty, deputy issuer of marriage licences for Nova Scotia, said despite the pandemic he is still getting calls from people looking to obtain a marriage licence.
“I get one or two a week,” he said. “Some people already had the plans in place and are seeing what the rules are and if they still can (get married).”
Normally people wanting a licence would see Tutty or visit Access Nova Scotia.
Between May 2019 and January 2020 he issued 50 licences, but then the COVID-19 protocols were put in place.
“All deputy issuers were told to stop issuing them until we are directed otherwise,” he said.
Tutty says people can still obtain a marriage licence but they have to contact Vital Statistics in Halifax, who would set things up with Access Nova Scotia in Sydney.
“They have to go through all the safety features and so on to get them in to do a marriage licence,” he said.
Gary Andrea, a spokesperson for Service Nova Scotia, said people can still get a marriage licence at this time. A licence is valid for three months and can be obtained up to the day before the wedding.
Andrea said if the participants are not displaying COVID-19 symptoms, their wedding is planned for the next eight weeks and the wedding only includes five people (the couple, officiant and two witnesses) in accordance with public health directives, they will be scheduled for an appointment to make an application for a marriage licence.
If anyone’s wedding had to be cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols, they are permitted to exchange their marriage licence for free once they’ve decided on a date. The exchange of marriage licences is permitted until Dec. 31, 2021. The cost of a marriage certificate is $132.70.
Anyone wishing to inquire about a licence can call 902-424-4381 or 1-877-8482578.
After Tutty takes off his marriage licence issuer hat, he often puts on his justice of the peace hat.
A justice of the peace for more than 15 years, Tutty said often people just want a quick ceremony in his office and he has seen everything from a bride and groom in full wedding attire to a couple in sweatpants.
“A lot of times I’ll use staff here for witnesses,” he said.
Tutty has married people on his boat on the Mira, on a sandbar and under a special tree two miles in the woods.
Many secretly marry in his office and then go south for a destination wedding.
“Then they would pretend to get married but they don’t have to follow all the rules down there,” he said, adding no one knows and they save a lot of money at the same time.
Many ceremonies are unforgettable for Tutty, including one featuring a 90-year-old groom and his bride, who was in her 80s.
“They were together almost 50 years and he thought it was about time he married her.”