CHARLESTON, W.Va. — If you’ve been thinking about getting hitched, Monday might be the day. Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers has cleared her docket for any couples wanting to get married on Valentines Day.
“I do a lot of weddings. Usually, I’ve at least got one or two a week and one day, for no reason, I think we did five,” she said.
Judge Akers called weddings, along with adoption proceedings, the most enjoyable part of her job.
“It’s one of my favorite things I get to do. I get to marry people and bring families together for adoptions. I will always stop whatever I’m doing to do one of those two things,” she said.
Same day weddings are legal in West Virginia. Couples need to first visit the old courthouse to get their marriage license at the office of the County Clerk. Once the license is secure, cross the street to the Judicial Annex and make your way to Judge Akers’ courtroom. She suggested making an appointment, but added it’s not mandatory.
“I’ll do them one at a time. They don’t take very long, but they’re all personal to the couple that wants to get married, so everybody should get their time set aside for that. We have several that are scheduled, but we’ll take walk-ins too,” she said.
Judge Akers said the idea of a string of weddings on Valentines Day isn’t an original, but it was important to her.
“This was an idea of Charlie King that he did a long time ago. I just thought this year it would be a good way to honor his memory with something he started a long time ago and continue the tradition,” she said.
Judge King was Aker’s mentor for many years and died in 2021. Akers, a former Assistant Kanawha County Prosecutor, was appointed to King’s position when he died.