Napa County Weddings Spike on 12/12/12

Love is in the air Wednesday, sparked by a repeating-date combination most have become familar with by now: 12/12/12.

Civil marriages at Napa County Clerk John Tuteur's office are "well above average," Tuteur said, with 11 ceremonies booked today.

"The only other day that matches or exceeds that number is Valentine’s Day," he said.  

Each year for the past decade, couples around the world have flocked to wedding chapels on the repeating-date day of the year. 

Last year, CNN reported on a flood of Las Vegas weddings spurred by the 11/11/11 date. The year prior, the New York Times reported a tenfold increase in weddings on 10/10/10 compared to a "normal" day. And Time Magazine called 7/7/07 "The Most Popular Wedding Day Ever."

"I happened to be in Germany on 8/8/2008 and there was an article in the local paper about the Standesamt (Clerk’s office) being inundated with ceremonies," Tuteur said.

Couples waiting, mass wedding scheduled

While 11 Napa County weddings didn't add up to a stampeded, other county clerks around the region are doing a land-office business.

Wednesday afternoon, the Sacramento County Clerk's Office is jam-packed with happy couples waiting to tie the knot, and more keep coming.

"It's pretty crazy," county spokeswoman Chris Andis said. "When I was there, there was maybe 50 people in one room."

She said the clerk's wedding calendar is all booked for the day, but staff are rearranging to increase their capacity. 

The Santa Clara County Clerk's office had so many couples coming in for marriages that officials switched into group wedding mode, scheduling a mass ceremony for at least 50 couples in the county supervisors' chambers at 4:30 p.m.

Barring some incredible extension of human lifespan, this is the last time local residents will have the chance to wed on a date with repeating digits: The next is 01-01-2101, Tuteur said.

Readers, are you tying the knot today? Did you get married on a previous repeating-digit date? Tell us in the comments and share a photo by clicking "Upload Photos and Videos" above.

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