How Will Counties Handle Marriage Licenses Come Aug. 1?
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- The new law means many same-sex couples can now tie the knot, but there are a lot of questions about how exactly that will work.
Charlie Rounds and Mark Heimenz of St. Louis Park, Minn., are still having a hard time believing they'll be able to get married.
"Guess we have to get the license first, and then we figure out how - just like any couple - we are going to go ahead and do this," Heimenz.
The law goes into effect Aug. 1, which is the first day people will able to apply for their marriage licenses.
In Minnesota, there is a five-day waiting period between license and wedding. But a judge can waive that period due to emergency or extraordinary circumstances.
The counties handle all marriage licenses, and are still trying to figure out how this all might work. But there has been precedent set in New York where judges were on hand to waive those waiting periods.
The counties also have to figure out how to change the marriage license paperwork that right now says "bride and groom."
"I think that the weight on the shoulders should be gone, that we know what we needed to do to get here," Rounds said. "I'm euphoric."
