Nearly 50 couples tied the knot on the steps of the Volusia County Courthouse at 2:22 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, otherwise known as the date with the most twos possible — 2/22/22.
Performing the marriages and reading the vows was Volusia County Clerk of the Circuit Court Laura Roth.
“They say it takes two to tango. We’ve all heard that, and we know it’s true,” Roth said. “But today you are showing the world that you know much more, much, much, more about the nature and importance of two.”
Roth said the idea to perform the ceremony was a spur-of-the-moment one, but all of her staff were fans.
“We realized we were going to get a lot of couples that day and it may overwhelm our slim staff, so I offered to do them in a group to help minimize the impact to the marriage staff,” she said. “Someone else said, ‘How about at 2:22?’; then the idea took off from there.”
In total, the clerk married 43 couples, with two couples in the crowd renewing their vows. Another 34 couples were married individually throughout the day Feb. 22 in DeLand and Daytona Beach.
One of the lucky couples married on the steps of the courthouse was DeLandites Valerie Jewel Jules, nee Doyle, 29, and her now-husband, Kendall Jules, 30. The two had been dating for 10 years and had been engaged since 2018, but family tragedies and other circumstances kept getting in the way of tying the knot.
“We just kind of said, ‘What are we waiting for, let’s just do it!’” Valerie Jules told The Beacon. “Within three weeks, we got my dress altered and threw together a celebration in my friend’s backyard and made it happen.”
Their young daughters, Naomi and Freya Jules, didn’t attend the wedding — the couple were afraid the kids would get tired before the ceremony was over — but Valerie said the children did enjoy the backyard after-party.
Another gal who got hitched on Twosday was Kristine Spence, marketing manager at the West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority.
JUST KIDS — Kristine Spence and Tony Roddenberry are pictured below at left at their graduation from DeLand High School in 1986.
Spence said she and her beau, Tony Roddenberry, had been eyeing October for their nuptials, which would have marked a year since the two were engaged. But Spence couldn’t quite settle on wedding details, so when the group ceremony came up, the couple jumped on the opportunity.
It worked out, too. DeLand means a lot to the couple. After all, they both graduated from DeLand High School in 1986, even though they didn’t start dating until four years ago.
“We met at our 30th high-school reunion. He was living in California, and he moved back four years ago,” Spence said when The Beacon reached her on her honeymoon. “It made sense doing it in DeLand. DeLand’s home.”
Another group wedding on the horizon
TWOS TIE THE KNOT — Volusia County Clerk of the Circuit Court Laura Roth checks her watch to ensure couples getting married on Twosday formally tie the knot at exactly 2:22 p.m.
While you’ve missed your chance to get married at 2:22 p.m. on the date 2/22/22 (at least for the next 100 years), another chance is coming up to be part of a group wedding ceremony. This one will be a biker wedding.
The ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 5 — during the DeLand Bike Rally event — at the Historic Volusia County Courthouse, 120 W. Indiana Ave. in Downtown DeLand.
Motorcycles can begin arriving for the wedding at noon, but you don’t have to be on a motorcycle to be married.
Florida residents looking to participate in the biker wedding should apply for a marriage license at the office of the Volusia County Clerk of Court at least three days in advance. Out-of-state residents taking part may apply for a license as late as the same day.
Reservations for the wedding are required. For more information, or to RSVP, call 386-736-5911 or email adminwebmail@clerk.org.
