‘Perfect timing’: 29 couples marry at Ramsey County Courthouse on Valentine’s Day
It’s Valentine’s Day at the Ramsey County Courthouse and 11 judges are standing inside of a room filled with heart-shaped decorations, ready to tie the knot for 29 couples.
For Annie Lehradt and her new husband, Kyle Pieri, it was the best way to get married. They met over 10 years ago when they were both working for Ramsey County’s 911 dispatch center.
“It was just perfect timing,” said Lehradt. “We picked this day because it was just perfect for love. It was free. And it just seemed like a fun day to do it.”
It was the first time the courthouse performed a block of free Valentine’s Day weddings. Judge Sophia Vuelo, who helped organize the wedding service event, said she was inspired by other counties hosting free weddings and wanted to bring that excitement to Ramsey County.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
“For a long time I wanted to do something just fun, to give a little bit of levity to the serious, heavy work that we do with the district court. And so I thought, ‘What better way than to celebrate love on Valentine's Day?’ And do it free so that it's in service to our community at no cost,” said Vuelo.
It was a special day for Sahil Mulchandani and his partner Srijida Chatterjee, who got engaged exactly a year ago.
On the first day they met in college, Muchlandani said they felt an instant connection.
“I think we always knew from day one that we wanted to get married,” he said. While many couples wore traditional white wedding dresses and suits, Mulchandani and Chatterjee wore red and pink sweaters.
Felicia Buckner said the day was a “fresh start” for her and her husband, LaChonce. They’ve been married for 10 years and renewed their marriage vows at the courthouse. Felicia carried purple carnations and wore a purple dress with a fur shrug, while her husband wore a black suit with purple flowers pinned to the jacket.
Felicia said they met in Duluth at a parking meter outside of a homeless shelter.
“I was giving somebody a ride and he was leaning on the parking meter. As soon as I got out the car, the first thing he said to me was, ‘You got a beautiful smile.’ And that made me smile even harder and we just started, you know, having phone conversations and texting and things and it led to us getting married 10 years ago and renewing today,” said Felicia.
“And we'll see you back here in 10 years!,” Felicia said with a laugh.
After finishing their quick wedding ceremonies, the newly married couples made sure to pick up cake and heart-shaped cookies on their way out of the courthouse.