IN THE PROFESSION
Courthouse I Do ' s
HON . KENYA M . JOHNSON Fulton County Probate Court kenya . johnson @ fultoncountyga . gov
D uring the pandemic , I received a call from a terminally ill cancer patient who was trying to get married to the love of his life before a risky surgery . At the time I had just been elected the new Probate Judge of Fulton County , but I knew then that we had to find a way to preserve their love , despite COVID , so I married the couple outside on the courthouse steps , because even during a pandemic , love prevails in Fulton County !
I recognized early on the necessity and popularity of the free courthouse wedding ceremonies , so we created a Vegas-style wedding chapel , in our court to offer individual weddings to Fulton County residents . Since creating ‘ Forever Fridays ,’ Fulton
ProbateCourt has married over 900 couples complete with a professional photographer , loaner flower bouquets and music . According to The Knot . com , the national average cost of a wedding and reception is $ 30,000 . With rising inflation and costs , couples now more than ever consider courthouse weddings as a lowcost option and use their money to purchase a home or splurge on their honeymoon .
8 January / February 2024