GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Not everything at the Clay County courthouse is about criminal trials or locking people up. The courthouse serves many functions, and some of them of the happier variety.

If you want to be married in Clay County – and you want it to be legal – you need to apply for a marriage license. That can be done at the main courthouse in Green Cove Springs or at the satellite branch office in Orange Park.

In 2019, the county issued 1,407 marriage licenses. It has already issued 244 in 2020. As spring approaches, the wedding season will be in full swing. For the month of February, the office estimates that between 25 and 35 marriage licenses were granted weekly.

June is the most popular month for weddings and the number of applications rises at this time of year and going forward.

There is a one-time fee of $86 to apply for a license. For Florida residents, there also is a three-day waiting period, which is waivable if the couple has completed a premarital counseling course. The fee is the same regardless of the couple’s state of residency. The process is relatively simple. There is an online application found at www.clayclerk.com.

“They basically fill out the information and we print it out when they get here,” said Deborah Thacker, a 32-year veteran at the clerk’s office who is the Director of Recording, which includes passport applications.

Once completed and with the fee paid, a happy couple is ready to get married. By Florida state statute, licenses are valid for 60 days following issue.

The couple may be married at the courthouse, or a place of their choosing.

The courthouse can provide a list of wedding officiants who can perform the service.

There are many attractive venues in Clay County for weddings. One of the most popular is the Clay Theatre at 326 Walnut St. in Green Cove Springs. If you want to be married there, however, don’t plan on doing so any time soon. The theatre is booked for weddings through the end of 2021.

If the marriage is at the courthouse, on the way outside, couples can stop and take pictures in front of the “Licensed to Marry” banner located in the hallway. Next to the banner, there is even a basket mounted on the wall containing a selfie-stick so that the newlyweds can take a picture.

“We want folks not to be intimidated by coming into the courthouse,” said Mary Justino, communications and community outreach director at the clerk’s office. “There are upbeat, happier times that our staff gets to deal with the community as well, not just the more negative side of what folks think the courthouse might be about.”

Once applications are given and the marriage completed and filed, that information is stored in the county archives. Information on weddings in the county going back to the 1800s can be found.