This Valentine’s Day marked the marriages of dozens of San Diego County couples who wanted a civil ceremony on the holiday of love.
They were lined up with bouquets and blessings in hand, Saturday, outside the County Administration Building on N. Harbor Drive downtown.
“We met at work,” said Maurice Basobas who married his fiancée, Cristina Michelle, in the first civil ceremony performed Saturday morning. “Our cubicles were next to each other. I needed help with a call, and she was the first person I reached out to. We started conversations little by little. Now, here we are,” he said.
Cristina said, “he started leaving post-it notes at my desk They had little drawings. I knew he was a good guy.”
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Cristina Michelle and her newlywed husband, Maurice Basobas, hold their marriage license, February 14, 2026.
The happy couple was among 160 newlyweds with reservations to get a marriage license and hold their ceremony on Valentine’s Day. The process was expedited to just about an hour from start to finish.
“This is our first Valentine’s Day that we’re opening up on a Saturday. Normally, government closes their doors on Saturday. I said we’re going to open our doors to love today,” San Diego County Clerk, Jordan Marks, told NBC 7. Marks also holds the title of County assessor, recorder, and commissioner of civil marriages.
“Most people know me when it’s time to pay property taxes, but I love this part of my job,” he said.
Normally, government closes their doors on Saturday. I said we’re going to open our doors to love today.
Jordan Marks, San Diego County Clerk
There are no discounts when it comes to government documents. Each couple paid $236 for a license and the ceremony. Marks was among a group of other officiants hired to deliver the wedding vows. Thanks to a donation from the Larry Himmel Neighborhood Foundation, the first ten couples had their fees covered.
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Liam Cameron, 8, (center) was the ring bearer for the wedding ceremony of his older sister and her U.S. Marine fiancé, February 14, 2026.
U.S. Marine, Davion Phillips, and his fiancée, Abigail, have their own unconventional love story.
“I knew she was the one after we had a couple of fights,” Phillips said. “We made up and she showed me that she’s dedicated and stands next to me through everything.”
His new bride put it a different way. “Tough times is what he’s trying to reference. We have gotten through some tough times and the love is strong,” Abigail said.
Her 8-year-old brother, Liam Cameron, served as their ring bearer. “I’m happy she’s married now,” Liam said. When asked what love means, he said “it means to respect each other.”
None of the couples married Saturday will forget their future anniversaries that will now always fall on Valentine’s Day.
“I told him every year is going to be really expensive,” the new Mrs. Phillips said. Her husband, Davion, replied to that with a simple, “yep!”
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Davion Phillips and his newlywed wife, Abigail Phillips, posed for a photo after their civil ceremony, Saturday, February 14, 2026.