Despite COVID-19 related closures, DeKalb County sees increase in courthouse weddings over previous year

DeKALB – Frances Newman and Tommy Newman of Aurora knew they wanted to get married shortly after they got engaged, though the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t make it any easier to plan their wedding.

Even though Frances Newman’s family was a lot more local to the DeKalb area, Tommy Newman said a lot of his relatives live out of state and there were travel bans for most of 2020 because of COVID-19. The couple also thought about eloping but they ran into the same travel ban issues with that option.

“It didn’t really make sense to throw a wedding for a small portion of people who actually wanted to be there,” Tommy Newman said.

The two eventually decided on a smaller courthouse wedding on Sept. 24, 2020 at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore, with more country style than formal attire.

“A courthouse plan was def[initely] not the wedding of my dreams,” Frances Newman said. “But it was nice still.”

Frances and Tommy Newman were one of many couples who rushed to the courthouse for their nuptials in the previous year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DeKalb County Judge Tom Doherty said the courthouse held 140 weddings in 138 work days from March 16, 2020 to Feb. 24, 2021. That’s compared to 164 weddings in 241 work days from March 16, 2019 to Feb. 24, 2020, he said.

“So we only did 140 weddings this COVID period compared to 164 the same period the prior year, but they were jammed in from July 1, 2020 to Feb. 24, 2021,” Doherty said. “The rush was on.”

For added context, Doherty said there were 150 total courthouse weddings in DeKalb County in 237 work days in 2017, 149 weddings in 249 work days in 2018, 170 weddings in 263 work days in 2019 and 179 weddings in 184 work days in 2020.

In 2017, 2018 and 2019, Doherty said the courthouse did weddings on about 65% of work days, which amounts to about six or so every 10 work days. From March 16, 2020 through Feb. 24, 2021, the courthouse did weddings on more than 100% of work days, meaning there were days with more than one courthouse wedding, he said.

“And keep in mind, we did no weddings from March 13, 2020 to July 1, 2020,” Doherty said. “Then we started doing as many as two or three a day – eight or nine a week some weeks.”

Doherty said court officials also decided to only do weddings on an emergency basis – like if a military spouse was going to be deployed soon – toward the end of 2020. Throughout the years, a lot of couples also have cited reasons that were insurance-related or just to avoid formalities and save some money, he said.

“And there was a fair share of that from July though present,” Doherty said.

Doherty said it’s about a $10 fee to have a wedding at the courthouse. Even if a courtroom can fit about a dozen socially distant people, he said the court has encouraged people to stream their ceremony via Zoom and those virtual turnouts have been large there as well.

“We’ve had people get married everywhere from very elaborate wedding dresses to pajamas,” Doherty said.

Frances Newman said she and Tommy took advantage of the Zoom option so Tommy’s out of town family could still be part of the day virtually. She said her parents, sisters, her daughter and some family friends were able to attend in person and they were able to take a lot of pictures at the courthouse.

Though it wasn’t the typical big wedding, Frances Newman said she loved now having the memories of going shopping for wedding outfits with her daughter and Tommy.

“It put a shining moment in 2020,” Tommy Newman said.

“It made 2020 a little better,” Frances Newman added.

Frances Newman said her mom and sisters also did a good job in putting together a wedding in three weeks, complete with a smaller after party of finger foods, cake and a champagne toast.

“Just a nice little get together with family,” Frances Newman said.

Frances Newman said the couple is still waiting to have their honeymoon until travel restrictions are a little more relaxed. She said the couple tentatively plans to renew their vows at a later date, but the two still have so many family members that can’t leave where they’re at for the foreseeable future to come to northern Illinois for a larger ceremony and reception.

Though it wasn’t what she had always envisioned for her wedding, Frances Newman said, getting married in the court house was nice overall.

“Regardless, if you love that person, it really doesn’t matter where you get married,” Frances Newman said. “ ... It worked for what we wanted and it didn’t really matter ultimately how or where we got married. We just wanted to get married.”