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Yuba-Sutter couples race to wed on 12-12-12
The last chance this century for a triple-digit wedding date with identical numbers meant Eric and Cara Melendez made 12-12-12 the day they were married on Wednesday in Yuba City.
"I liked the numbers," said Cara Melendez, 26.
She had once wanted an extravagant wedding in Tahoe in the snow, but was happy with the civil ceremony at the Sutter County Clerk-Recorder's Office next to the courthouse on Second Street. The $102 cost for the ceremony, license and certified copy means the couple can save money for their dream vacation to Italy, Cara Melendez said.
The couple had a lot of company as others held their weddings on Wednesday.
Carrie Conklin and Jeff Cooper, who have been together for "way too long," woke up on Wednesday morning and through a brief conversation over text messages, decided to get married. They also have a large wedding planned for this summer. The couple came to the Yuba County Clerk's Office just after 4 p.m. from work and filled out the documents to make their commitment official.
Conklin cited her Dec. 21 birthday, which some believe is the end of the world on the Mayan calendar, and said she suggested getting married "before we died."
The couple stood in the lobby of the Yuba County Government Center, held hands and recited short vows as their friend, Candace Hubbart, took photos on her cellphone.
About a dozen ceremonies took place at the clerk-recorder offices for Sutter and Yuba counties — more than double the normal number.
"I don't know that all of these individuals picked this day for that (12-12-12) reason," said Donna Hillegass, chief deputy clerk in the Yuba County recorder's office.
LuAnn McKenzie did.
She married Russell McKenzie next to the Sutter County Courthouse because 12-12-12 is supposed to be lucky.
And, she added of her husband, "I don't want him to forget."
LuAnn McKenzie noted her sister was married on 11-11-11, and that put pressure on the McKenzies.
Olivehurst resident Anna Clark, who as a 14-year-old met LuAnn and was at her friend's wedding, said Wednesday's date didn't mean that much to her. But Clark understands the attachment to 12. That is the favorite number of her daughter Charmaine, 31, and was on Charmaine's basketball and soccer uniforms when she played for Lindhurst High School.
Cara Melendez met Eric, who played baseball for Yuba College, when the two attended the school in Linda. Linda Sarvis, deputy commissioner of civil marriages for Sutter County, performed the ceremony in a purple robe.
December is a special month for Cara Melendez. That's the month her son, Jayden, then-2 years old, had successful heart surgery and the month Cara was born.
Eric Melendez said the Dec. 12 date doesn't hold the same significance for him as it does for Cara, but he is fine with the decision to be married Wednesday.
"I just want her to be happy," he said.
His mother, Valerie Melendez, said a 12-12-12 wedding is wonderful.
"God is all about numbers," she said.
Seven is the number of perfection, 3 represents the trinity and God is 1, she added.
CONTACT Ryan McCarthy at rmccarthy@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4780. Find him on Facebook at /ADrmccarthy or on Twitter at @ADrmccarthy.
