Getting married during a pandemic Clerk-recorders still accepting appointments for ceremonies and licenses
Cynthia Pierce and Wesley Crates stood under a tree near the Sutter County ClerkRecorder’s Office on Tuesday as Donna Johnston, county clerk-recorder, performed their marriage ceremony.
The couple has been together for 15 years and moved to Yuba City about a week ago from South Dakota.
“We love the area,” Pierce said.
She said their children also live in the Northern California region.
“We just decided to make it right in God’s eyes,” Pierce said on why they decided to get married.
California had been gradually reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Gov. Gavin Newsom has recently announced re-closures due to a spike in coronavirus cases throughout the state.
Johnston said while the office is now closed to the public, they are still accepting appointments for some of their services – like marriage ceremonies and applying for marriage licenses.
Ceremonies are performed outside and are typically done early in the day if possible due to the heat.
Johnston said they ask that people fill out their application for a marriage license online beforehand to minimize the amount of time people are required to be at the office.
Johnston said they're practicing social distancing and asking that people wear facial coverings – the couple isn't required to wear masks during the ceremony.
It's also asked that they keep the group under 10 people.
She said the number of marriage ceremonies and licenses being issued is about back to normal.
“Just because we're closed doesn't mean we're not in the office,” Johnston said. “We're working diligently.”
Donna Hillegass, Yuba County deputy clerkrecorder, said issuing marriage licenses and performing ceremonies looks fairly similar to what it was before the pandemic with some guidelines in place.
Hillegass said they previously accepted walk-ins, but for the time being marriage licenses are issued and ceremonies are performed by appointment only – and there is also social distancing in place and facial coverings are also required.
The size of the ceremonies is also limited to the bride, groom and a witness.
She said ceremonies are performed in the main hallway – which is a fairly large space with a water feature.
Hillegass said during the shelter-in-place order, it was difficult for anyone in the state to get married because clerk-recorder offices were closed, but now they are seeing a fair amount of people applying for licenses and getting married.
“In general, the public has been really good about making appointments, keeping their appointments; they have complied with all the requirements,” Hillegass said.
She said one of the challenges that couples have faced is that if they need to get paperwork from a different office – such as a divorce decree – it can cause delays.
But when people call to make an appointment, Hillegass said they walk through all of the steps for them and ask questions to determine what they will need for the appointment.
The application for a marriage license is online as well and can be filled out prior to the appointment.