Valentine's Day weddings return to Metro Court; here's how many happy couples said 'I do'

Love and wedding bells were in the air on Valentine’s Day as ceremonies were held at both the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court and the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office.

For Metropolitan Court, Wednesday’s weddings returned after a three-year hiatus. The court was busy, as 62 couples said “I do.”

“Valentine’s Day is special for everyone,” Judge Frank A. Sedillo said. “We want somebody in our lives to take care of and to take care of us and we see that on Valentine’s Day.”

Getting married on Valentine’s Day is a sweetheart’s dream, according to County Clerk Linda Stover, and for the past seven years, she’s been making those dreams come true through free Valentine’s Day wedding ceremonies she’s officiated.

“This is the happiest day in their lives,” Stover said. “This is a brand-new beginning.”

She made the dream of a Valentine’s Day happily ever after come true for eight couples on the eighth-floor patio of the Clerk’s Office.

For Jessie Munoz and Reianna McEachron, Wednesday marked a new chapter in their relationship, which started at Hastings in 2014, where McEachron worked as a barista.

“I used to just keep bugging her and trying to get her to make me coffee,” Munoz said with a smile.

The rest is history. As far as deciding to get married on Valentine’s Day, the couple said they made the decision to do so only three days before. Both said they really weren’t looking to have a big wedding ceremony. Wednesday’s small, intimate setting suited them just fine.

“It’s simpler, easier and all the people I want to see are here,” Munoz said. Surrounded by close loved ones, they sealed their new life together with a kiss.

The wait to get married was a bit longer for Joseph Seferino Alarid and Cindy Gutierrez, who had been together for longer than 20 years. Wednesday was somewhat of a homecoming for the couple; they met while both worked for Bernalillo County.

Alarid worked as a deputy assessor and Gutierrez was an IT technician who was assigned to his department. The two have been together ever since and were originally planning on getting married at the courthouse before Alarid said he saw a message on TV about the wedding ceremonies at the Clerk’s Office.

A chance to be wedded where they met was too good of an opportunity to pass up. “That’s why we did it instead of going to the courthouse, because having Linda do it and ironic that we would meet and get married at the county,” Alarid said.

The couple said life won’t really change much for them now that they’re married, expect now their partnership will be legalized and their love for each other is greater than ever.

A similar answer was given by Herman Ray Baca and Tina Marie Martinez. Their relationship began 18 years ago, when Martinez worked at a gas station up the road from where Baca worked.

Baca said when he caught Martinez’s eye, it was love at first sight. “I went to the gas station to get some treats and she fell in love with me,” he said laughing. It may have been instant love, but it took a while before Martinez agreed to go out with Baca.

Baca pulled out all the stops, even riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in his full leather chaps to get her attention. It did, and the couple finally decided to tie the knot Wednesday.

When asked why they picked that day, Baca responded by saying it was so he wouldn’t forget when their anniversary is. But all jokes said, when reflecting on what Wednesday’s ceremony meant to them, Martinez summed it up in one sentence: “The rest of our lives spent together.”

Photos: Wedding Bells on Valentine's Day