Clerk-Recorder

Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen (third from left) and staff pose in front of tickets booths used to help couples get “Hitched at Honda Center.”

On April 10, 2020, the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department made history by becoming one of the first County offices to resume marriage services to the public. Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen partnered with the Honda Center, the O.C. Fairgrounds, the City of Anaheim and OC Public Works to set up shop and offer Marriage Services at one of the parking lots at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The event also sparked lots of media coverage locally and internationally.

“I was excited to be able to offer marriage services during these challenging times,” Clerk-Recorder Nguyen said. “We looked into ways of providing these services in the safest way possible due to the demand and feel that this is a great solution. I would like to thank Honda Center, the Orange County Fairgrounds, the Mayor of Anaheim, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, OC Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen practices good social distancing as a Public Works, OC Community Resources and especially my newlywed couple poses for a photo to share on social media after their staff for helping us make this possible.” marriage ceremony at Honda Center.

For couples to obtain services, they had to complete their marriage license application online prior to calling a special hotline to make an appointment. The hotline was created for exclusive use by the public who wanted to obtain marriage services. Clerk-Recorder staff provided services from inside booths, borrowed from the OC Fairgrounds, to ensure that a protective barrier existed between them and the couples. Upon arrival at the Honda Center, couples had to wait inside their cars until a staff member contacted them to approach the booth for their appointment. This ensured there was always a minimal amount of people at the booths and that the department was following the strict social distancing guidelines recommended by local and state health officials. In the end, the department issued 3,900 marriage licenses and performed marriage ceremonies for 2,500 couples from April 10 through June. Congratulations to all the couples who got “Hitched at Honda Center!” A couple exchanges vows at Honda Center as a deputy commissioner of Here is a link to NBC’s news coverage of our work at marriages from Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen’s office officiates a ceremony Honda Center with TODAY. from inside the safety of a ticket booth.