It’s been over five years since the metaphorical wedding bells last rang at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. More than half a decade after the COVID-19 pandemic began, courthouse weddings are still on pause.
The County Clerk’s office website lists courthouse ceremonies as “canceled until further notice” and instructs prospective brides and grooms to call the office for a list of officiants who can perform weddings at other locations.
County Clerk George Christenson says his office is eager to bring back courthouse weddings, adding they’re both a revenue source for the county and a “meaningful service” to the community.
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Once COVID safety guidelines allowed, Christenson’s office reached out to the Chief Judge’s office to explore the possibility of reintroducing courthouse ceremonies. Although the clerk’s office assists in wedding scheduling and logistics, the law requires ceremonies to be performed by the courts.
“We were advised that the pandemic has permanently changed the nature of court operations, especially small claims court where ceremonies were previously conducted, and resuming ceremonies in the pre-pandemic manner was not possible,” Christenson explains.
More recently, prompted by an increase in demand for weddings, Christenson’s team again had discussions with the Chief Judge’s office. They identified a potential solution: resuming courthouse ceremonies with supplemental court commissioners as officiants. Though not judges, supplemental court commissioners are officers with legal training, such as attorneys, who are appointed by the court to help manage its workload under the supervision of a judge.
Christenson says his office is currently communicating with supplemental court commissioners who expressed interest in performing wedding ceremonies. However, there’s a small problem. When polled by the Chief Judge’s office, “only a few” mentioned they’d be interested, Christenson says.
The Chief Judge’s office did not respond to requests for comment as of the time of publication.
If you call the clerk’s office, you’ll likely hear that staff doesn’t know when courthouse weddings will be offered again and folks interested in having one should regularly check back with the office for updates, 414-278-4067.
But, this doesn’t mean Milwaukee County lovebirds are out of luck. In Wisconsin, couples can marry in any county, not just the one they live in.
Waukesha County public information officer Hillary Mintz says weddings at the Waukesha County Courthouse have “been very steady ever since Milwaukee stopped doing them.” In mid-April, Waukesha County Court Commissioner Christopher Bailey officiated his 1,000th wedding since entering the role in 2021. That 1,000th happy couple is, you guessed it, from Milwaukee.
Bailey says he officiates between 10 and 15 weddings each week, though some seasons – like Valentine’s Day and summer – are busier than others. That’s a wedding nearly every day, but the commissioner isn’t complaining.
“A lot of stuff you do at the courthouse isn’t happy, but weddings are happy events,” he says. “People are usually so happy that they’re crying.”
Bailey’s colleague, Circuit Court Judge Michael Aprahamian, also does courthouse weddings. Waukesha County recommends contacting Bailey at christopher.bailey@wicourts.gov or Aprahamian at 262-548-7481 if you’re interested in scheduling your nuptials.
The Ozaukee County Justice Center holds wedding ceremonies during the week, according to the county website. In Washington County, courthouse weddings are also on pause, per its website. However, the county offers Justice of the Peace ceremonies at The Tower Heritage Center – ironically the site of Washington County’s historic former courthouse.
