A mass wedding ceremony is planned for midnight Aug. 1 in Moorhead, for couples wanting to marry as soon as same-sex marriage becomes legal in Minnesota.
Couples, same sex or not, must sign up in advance for the ceremony, which will be held in the Clay County Courthouse. Marriage license applications must be made by July 26, because the state has a five-day waiting period before licenses become valid.
The county began taking same-sex applications Wednesday, says the Fargo Forum. The new licenses replace the words “bride” and “groom” with “applicant.”
The Polk County Government Center in Crookston will stay open until 1 a.m. Aug. 1 for a group ceremony, says the Grand Forks Herald.
And in Hennepin County, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak plans to marry 40 couples in ceremonies beginning at midnight Aug. 1 and running until 6 a.m.