ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The Carriage House was filled with more than just history this Friday; it was filled with a lifetime of promises. 18 couples gathered ahead of Valentine’s Day to tie the knot or renew their vows in a mass ceremony hosted by the Clerk’s Office.
For a modest fee of $30, couples were given a ceremony that ranged from long-awaited beginnings to heartfelt recommitments.
For Lakesha and Jarod Mills, the walk down the aisle was 19 years in the making. Amidst cheers from the crowd, the couple finally made it official.
“It hit our budget and it was time,” Lakesha Mills said, beaming alongside her new husband. “We were ready to get married and it just seemed like the perfect time. Let’s do it!”
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The Mills joined a group of couples, each with a unique path leading to the altar. For Iloma and Prince Ali Aigbona, the day offered a second chance at a memory they missed out on years ago.
“We first got married in Korea, and so we didn’t get the opportunity to have a ceremony,” Iloma explained. “We decided to come out and share with all these lovely people today.”
While many might view Friday the 13th with superstition, the couples at the Carriage House saw it as good fortune.
“Friday the 13th is a good luck day—always has been,” said Glenn Williams, who married Kim Munson during the event. The pair noted that at their age, they didn’t want to spend another moment waiting to start their lives together.
Others, like Nate and Sammantha Williams, used the ceremony to renew their vows and settle a long-standing Valentine’s Day debate.
“He said he did it because I’d give him trouble every Valentine’s and be like, ‘You don’t make an effort,’” Sammantha joked. “So he made an extra effort this Valentine’s.”
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Presiding over the unions was Judge Kenny Janesk, who emphasized the weight of the occasion.
“I mean, it’s fantastic,” Janesk said. “Obviously, the union of marriage is amazing. It’s also important.”
As the ceremony concluded, the room was a sea of white dresses and suits. The Mills reflected on the shared experience of marrying alongside 17 other couples, noting the instant bond formed with the strangers around them.
“All the brides looked so beautiful,” Lakesha Mills said. “Everybody complimented each other and we talked and we wished each other a happy life and a happy marriage.”
For these 18 couples, February 13th will no longer be remembered for bad luck, but as the day they chose a “happily ever after” that was both affordable and unforgettable.
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