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About two dozen couples arranged themselves along the steps of the Bexar County Courthouse on Tuesday morning, holding hands and taking selfies. Some women wore white, off-white or beige dresses; others opted for jeans and puffy jackets. Floral bouquets dotted the crowd, and the cell phone cameras of families and friends were on and focused.

“Welcome,” Bexar County Clerk Gerard Rickhoff said excitedly into the mic. “Love is in the air!”

The couples were taking part in an almost 30-year courthouse tradition — tying the knot for free on Valentine’s Day. Couples paid only the $81 for a marriage license 72 hours prior to the five ceremonies, which started just after midnight and ran through 4 p.m..

Last year, 157 couples said “I do” on the courthouse steps. This year, 277 couples did so, with about 70 of them making the 12:01 a.m. ceremony the most popular.

Alex Kiris, 24, and Chase O’Neal, 22, stood on the top steps for the 10 a.m. vows, watched by a few friends and family members. Kiris credited O’Neal, a “Google magnet,” with finding the event.

“I would’ve been on a lake somewhere, but the courthouse steps work, too,” Kiris said.

The couple exchanged Ring Pops in lieu of traditional wedding bands.

Kiris and O’Neal met over barbecue about a year ago. Another couple on the steps, listening to others share their love stories before the ceremony began, had been together going on 25 years.

“It was just the year for us,” said the new Tammie Butler, 53, who met Hays Butler, 57, at a friend’s house a quarter of a century ago. They came dressed up, she in a red dress instead of traditional white, he in a dark suit.

The Butlers had a low-key rest of the day on the schedule, with a celebratory dinner and plans to “enjoy each other’s company” as the main items on the agenda.

Kiris and O’Neal’s plans were a little more hectic. They both had to report to a 4 p.m. shift at the call center where they work near the University of Texas at San Antonio. When their shift finished at midnight, they planned to turn around and drive back downtown, to stay in a high-rise hotel for an impromptu honeymoon.

frahman@express-news.net

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