Las Vegas marriage bureau ends 24-hour service

Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2006 | 10:48 a.m.

LAS VEGAS - After years of sanctioning hastily made matches, the Las Vegas marriage bureau plans to close its all-night counter next week, a move celebrities everywhere may be applauding.

While saving the county money, the change will cost lovebirds the ability to obtain a marriage license in the wee hours and could jeopardize Las Vegas' self-proclaimed standing as the marriage capital of the world.

County officials approved a new 8 a.m. to midnight schedule to take effect Aug. 30, eliminating 24-hour marriage license service on Fridays, Saturday and holidays. The counter has not offered after-midnight service Monday through Thursday.

Official said it would affect less than 4 percent of the licenses issued by the bureau and save $200,000 a year.

It also may save the rich and spontaneous some high-profile grief.

Pop star Britney Spears, socialite Nicky Hilton, and actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis all wed in the late-night hours in Las Vegas. All three unions ended in divorce, with Spears' January 2004 nuptial to childhood pal Jason Alexander ranking as the most fleeting. It was annulled 55 hours later.

Charlotte Richards, whose 24-hour Little White Wedding Chapel married Spears, said despite the spotty track record she was saddened by the new hours. She said it was contrary to Las Vegas' billing as a 24-hour town and would certainly take the love struck by surprise.

"Let's face it, man, this is Las Vegas. This is the marriage capital of the world," she said. "People just automatically think, 'Let's go to Las Vegas! They're open all night!'"

Richards said she marries from 10 to 20 couples after midnight on a typical weekend. She provides a stretch limo to shuttle the betrothed to the courthouse to obtain a license and back for the ceremony. She said a pre-dawn wedding is popular among members of the military, lovers driving in from Southern California and celebrities.

"All the stars come out at night," Richards said. "People that are high profile, when they come down to Las Vegas to get married, they don't want to come in the middle of the day when people are around. They like the privacy."

County officials, who issued 122,259 licenses last year, say they notified the wedding industry of possible changes and did not receive protest. They noted the new schedule won't prevent holy matrimony after midnight, but just force a little planning to obtain a license in advance.

"They just can't run down to the bureau at 3:05 and be married by 3:10. They have to give a just little thought to the process," county clerk Shirley Parraguirre said.