- Title: Love is (once again) in the air: New York City's marriage bureau reopens
- Date: 23rd July 2021
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JULY 23, 2021) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SAE FEURTADO, 32, AND RICHARD KISSI, 34, HOLDING HANDS AND WALKING INTO THE MANHATTAN MARRIAGE BUREAU TO GET MARRIED (SOUNDBITE) (English) ABOUT TO GET MARRIED, SAE FEURTADO AND RICHARD KISSI, SAYING: SAE FEURTADO: "We're a little nervous because it's been like what? Two years? Yeah, we waited like two years because of the pandemic and just being here today, I don't know like I'm just kind of like..." RICHARD KISSI: "In a weird way, it kind of made me know it was real because when you're staying together in the house for an extra two years, it just brought us closer. I'm happy. I'm grateful to be here right now." SAE FEURTADO: "Yeah." FEURTADO AND KISSI ENTERING MARRIAGE BUREAU (SOUNDBITE) (English) ABOUT TO GET MARRIED, SAE FEURTADO, SAYING: "We wanted something simple, something not like a big wedding, like really intimate, and we just wanted to do it at City Hall and then we were like, OK, City Hall was closed. And I think, last week we came here and they were still doing private ceremonies. So we were like, OK, what are we going to do? Are we going to get married in Central Park? And then they finally opened it up today. So we're really excited. It worked out, it was meant to happen today." VARIOUS OF FEURTADO AND KISSI LEAVING MARRIAGE BUREAU AFTER GETTING MARRIED (SOUNDBITE) (English) JUST GOT MARRIED, FABIAN GAVILANES AND PABLO CALDERON, SAYING: FABIAN GAVILANES: "We're excited. We're really excited." FABIAN GAVILANES, 22, AND PABLO CALDERON, 31, ON STEPS OF MARRIAGE BUREAU AFTER GETTING MARRIED (SOUNDBITE) (English) JUST GOT MARRIED, FABIAN GAVILANES AND PABLO CALDERON, SAYING: FABIAN GAVILANES: "It finally happened. We've been waiting for a year. I met him three years ago." GAVILANES AND CALDERON WALKING DOWN STEPS JUST RECEIVED THEIR MARRIAGE LICENSE AND ARE GETTING MARRIED ON SUNDAY (JULY 25), TALI AGAI, 35, AND KYLE EISENMAN, 34, KISSING (SOUNDBITE) (English) JUST RECEIVED THEIR MARRIAGE LICENSE AND ARE GETTING MARRIED ON SUNDAY (JULY 25), TALI AGAI AND KYLE EISENMAN, SAYING: TALI AGAI: "Second photographer, third officiant, second wedding dress, we lost a lot of deposits. But that's nothing compared to the year everyone lost and we knew that which is why we are so grateful that at least the 59, 60 people that can come to our wedding, can actually celebrate together like we never thought that would happen." JOURNALIST ASKING (OFF CAMERA): "Did you plan on being here today, as the bureau reopens?" KYLE EISENMAN: "It was because we couldn't get it online and it just happened to open up. Last week, I saw a press release from the mayor, and then just Monday morning, we looked to the first day you could register. And I didn't think there were still going to be spots." TALI AGAI: "We didn't think it was going to happen. After all that, we didn't think we were going to get married on our wedding day. So this (holds up marriage license), I won't show you our social security numbers, it goes back in this (holds up envelope) is..." KYLE EISENMAN: "Our license." AGAI AND EISENMAN KISS FLOWER STAND OWNER, GEORGE TAXI, 52, ARRANGING BOUQUET (SOUNDBITE) (English) FLOWER STAND OWNER, GEORGE TAXI, SAYING: "This is my first time back since March 20th, so it's been a while. Yeah, March 20, 2020. Yeah, almost a year and a half now." JOURNALIST ASKING (OFF CAMERA): "Wow. How does it feel?" GEORGE TAXI: "It feels great to be back. I'm a little nervous because it's been a while since I've done bouquets." TAXI ARRANGING BOUQUET (SOUNDBITE) (English) FLOWER STAND OWNER, GEORGE TAXI, SAYING: "Being around people who are happy, it's one of the happiest days of their lives, so to be a small part of that, it's great." VARIOUS OF FLOWER STAND VARIOUS OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE MARRIAGE BUREAU WORKER STENCILING WORDS READING (English): "OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK" EXTERIOR OF THE MANHATTAN MARRIAGE BUREAU VARIOUS OF COUPLE WHO JUST RECEIVED THEIR DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP LICENSE POSING IN FRONT OF GIANT PHOTOGRAPH OF CITY HALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK CITY CLERK AND CLERK OF THE COUNCIL, MICHAEL MCSWEENEY, SAYING: "Everybody who gets married here usually will tell you, 'I got married at City Hall.' As you all know, City Hall happens to be five blocks away, but that's a long-standing New York City tradition. So we couldn't bring people to City Hall, but we brought City Hall to them." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK CITY CLERK AND CLERK OF THE COUNCIL, MICHAEL MCSWEENEY, SAYING: "We have all new computers that have cameras so that we will be able to provide virtual marriage license appointments to people while we're in the beginning of this very exciting transitional stage as we get grooved up to reopen all of our offices eventually."
- Embargoed: 6th August 2021 19:57
- Keywords: COVID-19 Manhattan Marriage Bureau coronavirus love married pandemic weddings
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA001EN2B13B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: New Yorkers Sae Feurtado, 32, and Richard Kissi, 34, waited two years to say "I do" as the coronavirus pandemic upended their plans, but on Friday (July 23) morning, they finally walked towards the steps of the Manhattan Marriage Bureau to get married.
The couple's wedding ceremony was among the first ones to be held in-person once again at the bureau in lower Manhattan after a 16-month shutdown imposed by COVID-19.
"It worked out, it was meant to happen today," said a nervous and excited Fuertado, clad in a flowery gown and a bedazzled headpiece, clutching a bouquet of purple flowers.
Thousands of people from all over the world eloped every year in the two chapels housed inside the 1920s art deco building. Prior to the pandemic, about 50,000 ceremonies would take place on average every year throughout the five boroughs, said City Clerk Michael McSweeney.
"Very exciting," McSweeney said of the reopening, which was announced last week by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
A small store lodged in the marble hallway leading to the chapels offered flowers, rings, veils, and bowties. For the first time in 16 months, couples stood against the famed oversize photograph of City Hall -- where marriage ceremonies were held before 2009.
But the lingering pandemic led city officials to introduce new protocols and put restrictions in place before reopening its doors.
Wedding ceremonies are by reservation only, McSweeney said, and couples are allowed to bring one witness to respect the four-people limit in the pastel-colored East and West chapel.
Elopers are required to wear a mask and a plexiglass sheet has been mounted on the podiums from which officiants perform ceremonies.
Pablo Calderon and Fabian Gavilanes said they were able to lower their masks to seal their vows with a kiss on Friday morning.
Calderon, 31, wore a suit and tie to mark the big day while Gavilanes sported a light pink bowtie over a white shirt. They said they were thrilled to finally get married after COVID-19 forced them to postpone their wedding, which was originally scheduled for August of last year.
For now, two ceremonies can take place every 15 minutes, said McSweeney.
While the bureau has been issuing licenses for marriage and other unions throughout the pandemic, virtual weddings only began in May and ended June 30 this year due to technical hurdles, McSweeney said, and only 300 virtual weddings were performed.
Outside the building, George Taxi set up his flower stand on Friday for the first time since March of last year. Bouquets of roses adorned with baby's breath and purple statice were showcased in vases next to trays of rings.
"It feels great to be back," said Taxi. "Just being around people who are happy... It's one of the happiest days of their life so to be a small part of that is great."
(Production: Roselle Chen, Maria Caspani, Hussein Al Waaile) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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