Community Corner

Saying 'I Do!' on 12/12/12

Couple chooses once-in-a-lifetime date to tie the knot in Avon Lake.

The happy couple chose a once-in-a-lifetime date for their once-in-a-lifetime event.

Nicholas Cherry, 22, of Avon and Kayla Rudolph, 20, of Sheffield Lake, pledged to love, comfort, honor and keep each other on Dec. 12, 2012.

Their 12/12/12 wedding in front of Judge Darrel Bilancini started promptly at 12 p.m. at the Avon Lake Municipal Courthouse.

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While the date has spurned thousand of weddings across the country – it is the last such triple date for almost a century (89 years), until Jan. 1, 2101, it was the only wedding for Bilancini for the day.

And although the 6-minute ceremony went off without a hitch, it almost didn’t happen at all for the Cherrys.

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“We got our marriage license this morning,” Nicholas said, who said he and Kayla decided yesterday to have a 12/12/12 wedding.

The couple originally went to the Lorain County Justice Center in Elyria on Dec. 11, where marriage licenses are issued, believing licenses could be obtained until 4:30 p.m. 

“We got there at 4:03 and asked the guard if this is where the licenses were issued and he said, ‘not today,’” Nicholas said. “We asked why not and he said everyone left at 4, when they close.”

They returned at 8 a.m. today to make sure they could get a license.

“We originally planned to get married on 10/11/12 in Cleveland,” Kayla said. “We went down (to the Cleveland courthouse) the day before, had all the paperwork filled out and the clerk said, ‘Wait a minute, you have to get married in your county.'”

Fortunately for them, there was one more day this year which could provide a numerically memorable anniversary.

Nicholas and Kayla initially planned to marry in Elyria, but found the courthouse was booked for months with weddings. A quick call to Avon Lake Municipal Court yesterday proved fortuitous.

"The judge said, 'come in at noon tomorrow,'" Nicholas said.

After the ceremony, the new Mr. and Mrs. Cherry, who opted to keep it simple in jeans and casual tops, posed for a few photos with the judge before getting into a shiny white Chevrolet under sunny skies and heading out to start their new life together... at exactly 12:12 p.m.

A lucky—and memorable—day

Thousands of couples are expected to capitalize on a 12/12/12 wedding date. The Viva La Vegas Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas is offering a “12/12/12 Las Vegas Wedding Package.”

“The charismatic and fun-loving couple that gets married on a 12 day is lucky and balanced, but seeking constant goals to achieve,” the chapel's website said. “The 'go-getting' 1 and the 'sensitive' 2 make this a very balanced number. 1 is the vibration of 'new beginnings' and starting things afresh. The 2 vibration is about seeking 'balance.'”

According to the Huffington Post, more than 7,500 couples are expected to marry today, a number provided by David’s Bridal.

For those still inclined to have a memorable anniversary, they only have to wait less than a year, when 11/12/13 rolls around.


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