Hudspeth on county's one-millionth marriage license: 'Some couples even opt to get married on the same day'

Marriage is a memorable milestone for couples fortunate enough to reach that stage in their lives, but for Marcelo and Lorena Pestana, their newly forged union carries another milestone.

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the newlyweds on Wednesday, June 22, were issued Harris County’s one-millionth marriage license.

Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth told KTRK that her office issues an average of approximately 2,500 marriage licenses monthly.

"Some couples even opt to get married on the same day, which involves finding a judge that will waive the 72-hour waiting period," Hudspeth said, the station reported.

According to KTRK, the Pestanas married the same day they helped the county clerk’s office set the record.

The couple is among the more than 151,000 who received licenses from the county this year, per the station.

The office told KTRK that an increased number of people in Texas’ largest county are tying the knot.

Its figures show that about 32,000 marriage licenses were issued in 2019, and after the COVID-19 pandemic slashed those numbers in half in 2020, the figure picked up to over 28,000 last year due to the availability of vaccines and the lifting of restrictions.

According to Almanac.com, June is traditionally the most popular month for weddings because of the goddess Juno, who is believed to protect women in all parts of life, especially when it comes to marriage and motherhood.

Celtic culture also played a role in June being associated with marriages, the website said.

The website Statista reported that were nearly two million marriages in the U.S. as of 2020.