I’ve been married three times, once to my current wife and twice to my first (and second) wife. Now this sounds a bit over the top, but the truth is always stranger than fiction.
The first time we were married, we went off by ourselves to Virginia, where the marriage laws had no waiting periods, and bought a marriage license and got married. There were also, at the time, some age laws that existed in Maryland that didn’t exist in Virginia. Considering we both were under 21, this was important.
After much research, we took off for Virginia, Alexandria I think, and found the courthouse where we could purchase a marriage license. We went first in Baltimore, I believe, to get our blood tests, a syphilis prevention carryover from another time, and as I remember I passed out in the waiting room after giving the blood! The tension was a bit high and this has never happened again.
We got yellow pages and found Churches; Jewish, and found a willing rabbi to marry us. His secretary was the witness, and we were legally married in Virginia and therefore everywhere else.
The next day our parents decided that they wanted to see us married (a bit late but they needed a day to get used to the idea) and so we arranged another wedding that evening. Since we were legally married already, the next rabbi only needed to perform a simple ceremony as he was not obligated to the State for anything in this one.
The rabbi at the Liberty Jewish Center needed some witnesses, and so he found the Liberty Jewish Center Bowling Team and they came out to be witnesses. What a charming event! (It really was a nice gesture on everyone’s part as I think back on it now.)
My next wedding came some 25 years later, and it too was amazing! After long discussions over where and how it should be done, including the Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas, going up in the elevator in the Renaissance Hotel in Detroit and several more equally goofy ideas, we chose traffic court in Bloomfield Hills Michigan!
The fee for a courtroom marriage was $10, a great idea! Next, the Judge on duty that day was Jewish, and loved doing as close to a Jewish ritual ceremony as the law would allow, which included breaking a glass, although we were already prepared for this one ourselves. Our guests included my wife’s parents, my mother and two of my sons, the only ones who were available. We were each allowed to invite two friends to our reception, which was back at our new house in Troy, MI. One person couldn’t make it but the parents, our kids and three friends did it for us! The caterer was Lebanese, because we felt closest to the food, and it was great! My mother was confused by it but one of our friends was Lebanese so he walked her through the dining room spread.
So far, 23 years later, this one seems to be working, and I’m not planning any more. Although, when approached by women friends of my wife who are startled that I have no vasectomy, and demand to know why, I always tell them, “My next wife might want kids!”
The first time we were married, we went off by ourselves to Virginia, where the marriage laws had no waiting periods, and bought a marriage license and got married. There were also, at the time, some age laws that existed in Maryland that didn’t exist in Virginia. Considering we both were under 21, this was important.
After much research, we took off for Virginia, Alexandria I think, and found the courthouse where we could purchase a marriage license. We went first in Baltimore, I believe, to get our blood tests, a syphilis prevention carryover from another time, and as I remember I passed out in the waiting room after giving the blood! The tension was a bit high and this has never happened again.
We got yellow pages and found Churches; Jewish, and found a willing rabbi to marry us. His secretary was the witness, and we were legally married in Virginia and therefore everywhere else.
The next day our parents decided that they wanted to see us married (a bit late but they needed a day to get used to the idea) and so we arranged another wedding that evening. Since we were legally married already, the next rabbi only needed to perform a simple ceremony as he was not obligated to the State for anything in this one.
The rabbi at the Liberty Jewish Center needed some witnesses, and so he found the Liberty Jewish Center Bowling Team and they came out to be witnesses. What a charming event! (It really was a nice gesture on everyone’s part as I think back on it now.)
My next wedding came some 25 years later, and it too was amazing! After long discussions over where and how it should be done, including the Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas, going up in the elevator in the Renaissance Hotel in Detroit and several more equally goofy ideas, we chose traffic court in Bloomfield Hills Michigan!
The fee for a courtroom marriage was $10, a great idea! Next, the Judge on duty that day was Jewish, and loved doing as close to a Jewish ritual ceremony as the law would allow, which included breaking a glass, although we were already prepared for this one ourselves. Our guests included my wife’s parents, my mother and two of my sons, the only ones who were available. We were each allowed to invite two friends to our reception, which was back at our new house in Troy, MI. One person couldn’t make it but the parents, our kids and three friends did it for us! The caterer was Lebanese, because we felt closest to the food, and it was great! My mother was confused by it but one of our friends was Lebanese so he walked her through the dining room spread.
So far, 23 years later, this one seems to be working, and I’m not planning any more. Although, when approached by women friends of my wife who are startled that I have no vasectomy, and demand to know why, I always tell them, “My next wife might want kids!”
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