More On:
marriage
Two sets of twins find true love with each other — and live together
Woman engaged to convict she’s never met — who gets sprung in 2032
Murdered journalist was leading secret double life when he was killed: podcast
Build the perfect wedding registry with help from The Knot, Zola & a wedding planner
Wedding bells are about to ring again, as New York City’s marriage bureau will reopen from its 16-month COVID-19 emergency closure, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday.
Offices of the bureau will be back in business starting Monday, as couples can schedule a time to get hitched — and the first ceremonies will be held at the end of that week on July 23, the mayor said.
“We have a lot of things to celebrate in New York City. Having weddings back, having the Marriage Bureau back, is one of them,” said de Blasio during his daily press briefing.
“I made a vow, I made a vow, that we would get the Marriage Bureau up and running again,” the mayor joked, “and we are bringing back the Marriage Bureau.”
The office has been shut due to COVID restrictions since March 2020.
The Marriage Bureau’s shuttering caused many New Yorkers to hurry to tie the knot as the pandemic started raging in the city.
The closure was so sudden that some couples with licenses showed up to have a public ceremony, only to find the offices closed. One couple in Manhattan got lucky and got hitched by a criminal court judge who agreed to perform the service.
“I now pronounce you man and wife. May you bump each other,” Judge Kevin McGrath told Alex Brook Lynn and Adam Levy, 32, as they jokingly touched elbows at the end of the outdoor ceremony.