Couples filed into the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building to be married by Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López and other judges on hand on Friday, February 14, for this year's Marriage Marathon, which was themed "All You Need Is Love," after the Beatles song.
While Denver's notoriously disappointing dating scene has been a well-documented phenomenon in Westword, there might still be hope: All of the couples at the marriage event who spoke with Westword did, in fact, meet in Denver.
Jack Leon and Gabriela Chirino met on Tinder about two years ago and decided the Valentine's Day Marriage Marathon would be the perfect time to get married.
"It's affordable and we can get it done just like that," Leon said after the couple received their official certificate of marriage.
"It feels awesome," Chirino added.
The couple's family stood around the altar and shed a few tears as Leon and Chirino were married by CBS Colorado morning anchor Michelle Griego.
The best part about being in love?
Answered Leon: "It encourages you to always be your best."
Couples from all walks of life stood in line to be married at the 2025 Valentine's Day Marriage Marathon.
Kristen Fiore
Normally, couples need to have an appointment to get a marriage license, but at the marriage marathon, no appointments were necessary. All that was needed was the $30 fee and the couples themselves.
Couples stood in line, some dressed in white dresses, suits and veils and others in T-shirts and jeans.
"There's something profound and important about being part of somebody's moment," López said. "We get couples from all walks of life."
Brooke and Carlos Ordonez were one of the couples that dressed for the occasion. The two met about a year ago at the Town Center at Aurora, where Brooke was working the register at a shoe store.
"He came in, we started talking, I sold him shoes and we fell in love," Brooke said.
Brooke and Carlos Ordonez met about a year ago at the Town Center at Aurora, where Brooke was working the register at a shoe store.
Kristen Fiore
"We have the same birthday, so we're basically soulmates," added Brooke.
High school sweethearts Angel and Adela Lopez of Denver had just a few more minutes to wait after a fifteen-year relationship.
Kristen Fiore
"We waited way too long," Angel admitted.
The couple said they were feeling both excited and nervous. For Adela, the best part about being in love is "just having a friend, someone to go home to."
"There's something profound and important about being part of somebody's moment," Denver Clerk Paul López said.
Kristen Fiore
"I don't think I'm young enough to pull that off," he joked, adding, "I was named after Paul McCartney. My mother was absolutely in love with that message. She was a total hippie. She was in the streets around that time, fighting for civil rights here in Denver."
López thought that the "All You Need is Love" theme was a pertinent message for this year's Marriage Marathon.
"Getting a marriage license and making that commitment to each other is about love, but it's also about survival," he said. "You're thinking about health care and status in this country. I think a lot of folks are trying to figure out how to survive, especially given this political environment. The last thing they need is more bureaucratic red tape."
Over a hundred couples came to the event in 2020, but only twenty came last year. Based on the line at the beginning of the 2025 Marriage Marathon, it's safe to surmise that this year attracted far more folks interested in tying the knot.
You can get married in the Marriage Marathon at the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building, 201 West Colfax Avenue, until 3 p.m. today. No appointment is necessary. Find more information about getting married through the Denver Clerk and Recorder's Office on another day here.
