There could be several dozen disgruntled brides- and grooms-to-be roaming the District this week as a result of the government shutdown. Both of the wedding “rooms” at DC Superior Court will be closed, meaning anyone with a planned nuptial celebration scheduled for this week, and into the foreseeable future, will be forced to postpone or cancel their ceremony.
There are up to 22 wedding slots available each day at the courthouse, where ceremonies are held in two dedicated rooms, one of which opened just two weeks ago to accommodate the rise in ceremony requests after the recent ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. DC Courts spokesperson Leah Gurowitz says that on average of late, there are usually around ten wedding ceremonies performed each day, with most couples typically reserving space between one and two months ahead of their planned wedding date.
According to Gurowitz, couples with ceremonies scheduled for this week were notified by telephone of the cancellation due to the government shutdown. However, romance isn’t completely dead at Superior Court: You can still apply for a marriage license or pick up a license for which you have already applied.
