30 South Florida couples are wed at once on Valentine's Day

"I liked sharing it with others because not everyone was staring at me," she said.

Her husband also loved the wedding, but for other reasons.

"Emotionally, I like the idea of getting married on Valentine's Day, and practically, I will only have to give her one present for Valentine's Day and our anniversary," he said.

Each couple had to have a recently issued marriage license and was allowed to invite 10 friends and family members, who watched the ceremony from the Croquet Center porch. The grooms, sporting an assortment of suits and tuxedos marched out first; their brides followed to the Bruno Mars song "Marry You," wearing traditional white wedding gowns, red cocktail dresses or sundresses with flip-flops. Some were pregnant; each carried a red rose.

The clerk's office conducts weddings throughout the year at its four courthouse locations in marriage ceremony rooms complete with dried flowers and champagne glasses. The office offers a "Sensible Start" package for $150, which includes a marriage license, ceremony, photo package, certificate and online wedding announcement, although there are lower cost options, such as a ceremony for $30 and license for $93.50.

But there was no cost on Tuesday, and County Clerk Sharon Bock, who led the ceremony, said she is glad to improve the public perception of her office, which is often associated with foreclosures, jury duty, evictions, lawsuits, traffic ticket payments and divorce filings.

"We want people to know about the happy things we do, like marriages and adoptions," Bock said. "We're glad we can start these couples out in life without any debt."

This incentive appealed to many of the couples. Some of Tuesday's newlyweds have lost jobs over the past few years or were marrying for the second or third time and did not want a fancy fete.

"We did it here because it was free," said Jonah Klemm-Toole, 27, an engineer from Palm Beach Gardens who married Elena Pizano, 25, also an engineer. "It's great that you can get married in a place like this and not spend $30,000."

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