GWINNETT COURTHOUSE VALENTINE’S DAY WEDDINGS: “You may now give a beso to your esposo.”
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
Courtroom 1C at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center isn’t typically decorated with balloons and scattered rose petals. It’s also not typically the site of 60 weddings by 2 p.m. like it was on Valentine’s Day, when Chief Magistrate George Hutchinson opened the court for free, no-appointment weddings. The seven couples we witnessed entering single and leaving married seemed overwhelmed by the day’s significance. Hutchinson and the judges helping him with the Spanish-language ceremonies, however, were beaming. Being a part of such a happy occasion is a pleasure, Hutchinson explained. “Sometimes judges don’t see life at its most pleasant.”