On Friday, the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder will be more festival than normal as they will honor Halloween by performing weddings in costume.
According to the county, Halloween is one of the busiest wedding days of the year at the Clerk’s office where couples choosing this day to get married usually have some affinity for the holiday; some wear Gothic outfits or black dresses, etc. Because of that, staff decided in 2013 to get into the act by wearing costumes and providing a list of characters for couples to choose from to perform their ceremony.
Last year, 11 of the 14 couples who got married on October 31st had their marriage solemnized by a Deputy Commissioner in character dress.
According to Elizabeth Gutierrez, a Clerk Recorder Services Supervisor, there is no advanced notice of what costumes staff members will wear. Couples can see the compiled list the couple and pick a character to marry them.
In the past we have had green witch, purple witch, werewolf, bride of Frankenstein, Wonder Woman, cowboy, Giants fan, cheerleader, vampire and prisoner. Last year, we had requests for Jimi Hendrix, a witch, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Day of the Dead and more.
The County says couples can still opt for a presider without costume.
The Clerk-Recorder’s office will be open for weddings from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
