Couples who love NYC (and each other) say ‘I do’ amid courthouse chaos in Manhattan

Christian and Emily Yarros celebrated their marriage in true New York fashion: by eating hot dogs from a cart outside the city clerk's office.

Emily Yarros was dressed in an ankle-length, off-white dress with long sleeves and a turtleneck. She wore red lipstick held a bouquet of white roses. Her new husband, Christian Yarros, munched on a frankfurter with ketchup.

“No mustard!” said Emily Yarros, a Bronx native.

“Apparently no mustard in New York,” her husband agreed.

The close proximity to hot dogs is just one thing that makes weddings at the city clerk’s office uniquely New York. The fast-walking lawyers, chanting protesters, honking taxis and flapping pigeons outside are a few others. On this bustling corner near the Brooklyn Bridge in Lower Manhattan, newlyweds’ white dresses and floral bouquets stand out.

Between 75 and 100 couples get married at 141 Worth St. every weekday, according to the New York City Marriage Bureau, which said there were 19,869 ceremonies last year. June is one of the busiest months.

Lately, this area has been particularly busy. In the state courthouse next door, former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been facing a new trial on rape charges after his first New York conviction was thrown out. At federal buildings around the corner, officers have been arresting immigrants. And across the street, music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been fighting racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

But the high-stakes drama in the surrounding courthouses plays out just far enough from the city clerk’s building that several couples told Gothamist they had no idea celebrities were on trial mere yards away from where they exchanged their vows.

City Clerk Michael McSweeney said high-profile trials like the Combs and Weinstein cases don’t affect the office’s day-to-day operations.

“We very seldom have questions from couples about what is going on nearby,” he said in an email. “In our experience, couples are not concerned about anything but their wedding on their wedding day.”

Some couples, like the Yarroses, exchange their vows at the city clerk’s office to take care of the legal portion of their union before a more symbolic ceremony with loved ones. Many couples get married there because it’s an accessible option for a wedding on a budget. For just $25, couples can make an appointment at nyc.gov/cupid for a 15-minute ceremony with a government officiant. That’s in addition to the $35 for a marriage license.

Emily Yarros said she was impressed with the city employee who married her.

“I think that she had that New York charm. It was like, all right, business is business,” Emily Yarros said. “We're going to do this and have a great time.”

Sukriti Sehgal said she and her now-husband, Devansh Kochar, decided to tie the knot at 141 Worth St. because they didn’t want to spend a lot of money on an elaborate wedding. She said they’re both from New Delhi and will wait to throw a party until they’re back in India with their friends and family.

“Right now we just wanted to get married in a small and intimate ceremony,” Sehgal said.

‘Take good care of each other’

Virág Gulyás was excited to hear she had just gotten married in the midst of so much activity. She said it has long been her dream to get married in Manhattan.

“That is something that was on my vision board,” she said.

Gulyas and her now-husband, Robert Kenez, both immigrated to the United States from Hungary. The couple dated long-distance for a while between Colorado and California, after meeting two years ago on Bumble. They’ve been together in Crown Heights for about four months.

“ I love it here,” Gulyás said. “For me it's home, and he loves me enough to follow me. So we will see.”

She said the ceremony had “a little” personality to it.

“Minimal,” Kenez said. “They were nice and nobody was rude.”

While a wedding at the Marriage Bureau may be a little scripted, there’s still room for special touches. Outside the entrance, a young woman sells bouquets of flowers and gold rings for soon-to-be-married couples in a pinch.

Her dad, Braulio Cuenca, is ready to capture the romantic moment with his camera. For more than 25 years, the Ecuadorian immigrant has been photographing weddings at the city clerk’s office.

“It’s emotional, because every person is their own world, with their own heart and way of being,” he said in Spanish. “Every couple is different.”

Cuenca likes to focus on these happy moments and keep his distance from the heavy news that surrounds him. He blesses the brides and grooms he photographs and warns them that their life together will pass by quickly.

“I always tell them to be happy,” he said in Spanish. “And take good care of each other.”