Wedding bell blues

It seemed like a good idea: Allow Charleston County court officials to marry couples who drop by to get a marriage license.

For County Council, the decision to perform courthouse weddings, at $60 apiece, promises to raise thousands of dollars during a time when Council is looking for any way to prop up its budget.

But for many in the Charleston community, particularly those who make a living performing quick and informal weddings, the change has them tied in knots.

Lin Lewis, whose Mobile Marriage business in Mount Pleasant employs six people, said whatever the county makes will come out of her bottom line.

"My wedding business is very important to me," she said. "It's a lot of income that I don't care to give to the county."

David Rister, who owns the Charleston Wedding Chapel at 221 Ashley Ave. in downtown Charleston, said he pays a business license to local government and wonders why local government is now competing with him.

"What's next?" he said. "Are they going to open up a McDonald's?"

Lewis questioned whether the county would net any money once its extra workload is considered.

"Does Probate Court have the time to field 10 to 20 calls a day from anxious brides about performing a ceremony?" she said, noting that brides constantly call her to ask if they can bring guests, what the location looks like, whether she can decorate it, where to change clothes and so on.

"If probate has the time and employees to handle the influx of business, perhaps money could be better saved by cutting payroll," she said. She also noted that Berkeley County stopped performing weddings last summer because they had grown too hectic.

Thomas Doughty, a North Charleston notary who performs several weddings a year, said he remembers the last time the Probate Judge's office did weddings, the practice led to problems because county employees ultimately tried to make extra money on the side.

"They would take people across the street to Washington Park, behind City Hall," he said. "They were working for Probate Court as full-time employees yet they were taking time off marrying people."

That began to change around 1992, when then- Probate Judge Bernard Fielding responded to Doughty's concerns with a memo prohibiting probate employees from performing weddings while on duty or off duty — or even to arrange for anyone else to perform them.

Current Probate Judge Irvin Condon said he wasn't looking to change that, but the decision was made by County Council members. "They're always looking for revenue," he said.

He wasn't even sure who would conduct the weddings, which must be performed either by an ordained minister or a notary public. The county hasn't done any so far but could begin next month.

The move was done as part of a big-scale review of the county's fees, all done with an eye toward helping balance the upcoming 2009-10 budget. Performing marriage ceremonies is expected to bring in $15,000 in the next fiscal year.

Council Chairman Teddie Pryor said he didn't hear from anyone with concerns about the county performing ceremonies.

"Folks still have the right to go somewhere else," Pryor said. "I see it as a convenience. You won't have to drive five to 10 miles to find someone who performs a wedding ceremony. In a budget-strapped year, you've got to do all you can."

But Doughty disagreed. "I think it's going to bring them more headaches than anything else," he said.