Dozens say 'I do' over lunch in Tulsa
BY MICHAEL OVERALL World Staff Writer
Thursday, December 13, 2012
12/13/12 at 7:53 AM
They're going to Las Vegas after New Year's, but why wait?
Matt and Jennifer Stone were roughly the 12th couple married Wednesday during a hectic once-in-a-lifetime event at the Tulsa County Courthouse to mark the 12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year of the century.
That's "roughly" because multiple couples were getting married at the same time in the front and back of the courtroom, making it impossible to know the exact order in which people said "I do."
"We'll do it again in Vegas," said the new Mrs. Stone, "and that one will be the party."
She knew her husband in childhood but didn't develop a relationship until becoming reacquainted with him three years ago.
"We wanted to go ahead and make it legal," he said. "And we thought this was a perfect time to do it. We'll always be able to remember what day it was."
Obviously, they weren't the only couple to have that idea.
District Judge Mark Barcus slated a special noon docket to accommodate all the people who wanted to make their wedding date impossible to forget - 12-12-12.
Nearly three dozen couples registered in advance. But for whatever reason, only 28 showed up.
That's still the busiest wedding day that Tulsa's courthouse is ever likely to see.
"I can't imagine how anything like this will happen again, at least in my lifetime," said Barcus, whose previous record was just nine or 10 weddings in a single day.
"It was quick, but I tried to give every couple their own little special moment," he added.
Instead of a mass wedding, each couple got a separate, brief ceremony, with Barcus presiding over the front of the room while another judge married people in the back.
The vows took less than a minute, with another minute or two for signing paperwork.
And by 12:12 p.m., Barcus alone had zipped through five weddings.
All 28 marriages took less than an hour.
"What's so fun is seeing the diversity of life," Barcus said afterward. "I had one couple in their 70s and some were very young.
"Some dressed up and some didn't. Some cried. Some laughed. It was just a beautiful variety of people."
Original Print Headline: Dozens say 'I do'
Michael Overall 918-581-8383
michael.overall@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Jose Hernandez-Loera and Maria Delgado share a kiss before District Judge Mark Barcus during a marriage ceremony Wednesday at the Tulsa County Courthouse. Nearly three dozen couples were wed during the special ceremony. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
Numerals marking the Dec. 12, 2012, date cover a cake at the Tulsa County Courthouse on Wednesday. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
Dressed for a wedding, Benjamin Dougherty (right) and Dora Dougherty squeeze through the crowd at the Tulsa County Courthouse on Wednesday. MATT BARNARD / Tulsa World
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