These LA-Area Couples Celebrated Valentine’s Day By Getting Married

Published Feb 14, 2024 3:23 PM

A woman wearing a white dress and clutching a bouquet of pink flowers and red roses stands beside a man wearing a grey suit and red tie. They smile at the camera standing in front of a gold circle decorated with red and pink balloons and white flowers.

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Karen Ontiveros and Edward Carrillo set off early from Alhambra with their children to Norwalk — she in a white lace dress clutching a simple bouquet of white and pink roses, he in a gray suit and red tie.

The couple decided to get married at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office on Valentine’s Day, or as Ontiveros called it, the “day of love.”

Their journey started two years ago when they found each other on a dating app. From their first meeting, Carrillo could tell Ontiveros cared deeply about him. Soon, he was planning a proposal.

Carrillo led Ontiveros to the pit of a Nascar race on the pretense of taking pictures. When she had her back to him he got down on one knee.

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“Everybody was watching and I didn't know what was happening,” Ontiveros said.

The proposal took place in front of Ron Capps, Ontiveros’ favorite driver.

“He and the driver were in on it,” Ontiveros said.

At least 51 couples tied the knot Valentine’s Day at the registrar’s office in Norwalk, where same-day marriage licenses and civil ceremonies were being offered to commemorate the holiday.

Also at the registrar’s office were Moses Bae and Tammy Martinez. The couple clutched hands, his thumbs gently caressing her skin. Her eyes welled up with tears as she repeated after the officiant, “Let us be friends, partners and lovers today and all the days that follow. Now with this ring, I marry you.”

A man wearing a black suit and a woman wearing a white dress stand in front of officiant clutching hands. In the backdrop a green, leafy banner is visible as well as heart shaped balloons on either corner.

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Applause broke out as the newly minted husband and wife kissed.

They chose the Norwalk location because of the “special decorations,” Bae said.

Pink and red signs on the yard in front of the office proclaimed “Happy Valentine’s Day” and spelled out the word “Love.” Newly married couples posed for pictures in front of balloons and a floral installment while staff handed out red roses.

Bae and Martinez decided to get married on Valentine’s Day because, he said, the date is impossible to forget.

“Same with me because I'm not that good at remembering dates so, Valentine's, it's good for me to remember,” Martinez said.

The couple met on a dating app. And after their first year when they moved in together, Bae knew he wanted to marry Martinez, now pregnant with their first child. Her sense of humor, he said, means “we laugh every single day — to me that's super important.”