Lake County, Illinois Clerk Authorizes Judges To Perform Weddings Via Zoom
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Wedding bells are going to chime – and you don't even have to leave your home.
Starting Monday, Lake County, Ill., officials will have judges available for weddings via Zoom. CBS 2's Tim McNicholas showed us how it works.
From a drive-by celebration in Texas to a sidewalk ceremony in New York with a friend officiating from the window, Americans have been coming up with some creative ways to get married lately – because it has not been simple these past few months during the coronavirus pandemic.
"We still have a lot of public safety concerns," said Lake County Chief Judge Diane Winter.
Winter said in Lake County, courthouse weddings have been a no-go since mid-March. But that has not stopped people from trying.
"Our public information officer would get those calls and she would say they'd be getting four or five a week wanting to get married - sometimes more," Winter said.
But in Lake County, tying the knot just got a little easier.
Starting this week, couples may get married via Zoom, with a judge presiding over the wedding from the courthouse. Some couples are already signed up, as are judges.
"Judges like to volunteer," Winter said. "Sometimes they compete with each to see who could do the most weddings in a year."
Which judge is the frontrunner for the wedding contest?
"I don't know that this year," Winter said. We kind of got derailed for a few months. I don't know who's in the lead."
The service is open to Lake County residents. If you're interested, you should reach out to the Lake County Clerk's office.
You will have to pay a $10 cash fee to the Clerk's office in person the day the wedding license is issued.