Army Sgt. Vincent Callender and Hazra Kishun recently tied the knot in a most unceremonious way.

No organ music. No bridesmaids. No fanfare.

They simply filled out a marriage license application and paid a fee at the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

But they didn’t escape a bit of schmaltz that goes with the momentous occasion.

They stood for a few photos beneath an arbor festooned with ivy, white roses, lights and ribbon in the entrance hall, compliments of a sentimental clerk’s staff.

“It gives it a little bit of a traditional feel besides just coming in and signing a paper,” said Callender, who will deploy to Iraq in December with the 316th Field Artillery of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

The Callenders are among hundreds of couples in El Paso County each year who sidestep a judge or clergyman and “self-solemnize” their marriage instead. That means they officiate their own wedding or agree to be married without going through a ceremony.

For years, couples like the Callenders simply signed their marriage license at the Clerk’s Office and that was it. Clerk employees thought it a pity they began their lives together without a photo, in the appropriate setting, to mark the moment.

“We didn’t have anything very wedding-oriented,” said Sandy Hook, recording department manager.

About two years ago, county officials attended a conference in Alameda County, Calif., where officials are authorized to perform marriage ceremonies and even have a wedding chapel.

“It’s quite elaborate, and that got us motivated,” Hook said.

Deputy Clerk Terry Sholdt found an archway at a craft store and wove in flowers, ribbons, greenery, netting, even twinkle lights. Total cost was about $50.

“People bring their families,” Hook said. “It’s used every day.”

Self-solemnizing is used by about a third of the 5,400 people who get marriage licenses in El Paso County annually, Hook said.

It appears few states offer self-solemnization. Sara Rose, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in Pittsburgh, handled a case last year involving self-uniting marriage. In researching the issue, she found only Colorado and Pennsylvania allow it.

If nothing else, the clerk’s archway lends a festive mood to the cheapest wedding in town. Instead of spending thousands on food, flowers, tuxes and a photog- rapher, couples can opt for the clerk’s plan and pay only $10, the price of the marriage license.

“It’s a very cost-effective way to do it,” Hook said.

The Callenders, who’ve been together for six years and have two children, plan a formal wedding when he returns in September, but wanted to make it official before he’s sent overseas.

The archway added to their memories of the day, they said.

Hazra Callender wished she’d known about the arbor beforehand, so she could have dressed up. But the groom didn’t seem to mind whether she wore blue jeans or a white gown.

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Contact the writer: 636-0238 or pam.zubeck@gazettedev.gazette.com

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