Four Humboldt couples got married this Valentine’s Day 

In the spirit of love were four couples who got married this Valentine’s Day.

“We seemed like it was a good time,” said Joanna Lynch, one of the newlyweds. “We hadn’t done it in 33 years and we thought, why not?”

Mark Youdall and Lynch have been together for 33 years. They met each other in their 40s while they lived in Oakland. They met when Lynch brought her kittens to get neutered at the veterinary office where Youdall worked and the rest is history.

“We’d loved one another for 30 years and it was probably almost since meeting that we knew,” Youdall said. “We were in our forties. So, you know, we’d been around the block a few times, and having met Joanna, it seemed almost immediately like this was the person. It just felt right and has ever since.”

The Humboldt County Courthouse has four spots available each day to schedule getting married. Because of the popularity of getting married on Feb. 14, one couple had to book Valentine’s Day six months in advance.

“When we are all booked up, people do have the option to find their own officiant,” said Sandra Borba, a Senior Recordable Document Examiner. “They can get somebody ordained for the day through our office or people get ordained online through different agencies. Those people are allowed to perform the ceremony. The only thing the couple would have to do is just make sure they come in to get their marriage license or the permit to get married prior to the ceremony.”

Dates like today usually get busy at the courthouse. Another eventful day for wedding ceremonies is leap day which is coming up on Feb. 29. The courthouse is already booked up to marry four couples on that day. Borba said she has married over 500 people since she started this job about 5 years ago. She says everyone is different and it’s a beautiful experience.