Valentine's Day is just another Tuesday in the Delaware County clerk's office today.
Steve Craycraft says the office, which issues marriage licenses, in the past would perform about 300 to 400 marriages each year – many of them on Valentine's Day.
Due to recent budget and staff cuts, the clerk's office felt it economically irresponsible to continue with the in-office wedding service.
"We don't marry them in the office anymore," he said "We cut that out because they laid off three of our employees last year. By the time you get their license prepared and get them married, you are tying up an employee for about an hour."
Besides the romantic notion of marrying on Feb. 14, Craycraft said there was another reason his office was popular for nuptials.
"Everyone wanted to get married here," he said. "It didn't cost anything."
The only alternative free marriage option that Craycraft could recommend, in the area, was a place of worship. Besides that, couples looking to get wedded will have to pay the traditional marriage costs.
"You can always contact a pastor, or a legislator who can marry you or a judge," Craycraft said. "When we lost people out of our office, we started downsizing on some of the things that we did. We just did that for free as a courtesy to the public, it didn't aid the taxpayers in any way."
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