Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: Jim Irizarry, Assistant Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder

(Redwood City, CA) – In light of the uniqueness of the date, the San Mateo County Clerk’s Office will be open on Saturday, August 18th (8/18/18) to perform civil ceremonies for couples wanting to marry on this auspicious day.  From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Clerk’s Office will perform a wedding ceremony every half hour.
 
San Mateo County offers a 25-minute civil wedding ceremony which offers unique amenities not normally found in a standard rented location.  Here, an Internet broadcast (webcast) service is available, so that the ceremony can be seen and heard by electronically invited loved ones viewing from anywhere in the world.  This additional $50.00 fee for the webcast includes the DVD disc as a keepsake for the happy couple.  Online guests will receive an e-mail invitation with instructions for a live viewing of the ceremony.
 
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 Clerk’s office or be submitted online (in-office public terminals are available). The couple must appear in person before the County Clerk and provide proof of identification. The application process takes about 30 minutes. The license costs $79, plus $15 for a certified copy of it.  If the couple wants to provide an Internet broadcast to family and friends, there is an additional $50.00 fee for that service.
 
To schedule your special August 18, 2018 ceremony, please visit the County Clerk’s website at www.smcacre.org/marriage-licenses-ceremonies.