Chapels: Cutback in marriage license office hours will hurt tourism

A change in hours at the County Clerk's office a move projected to save more than $100,000 a year has drawn the ire of owners of wedding chapels who say that reduced hours will negatively impact the nuptials business.

Starting June 28, the County Clerk's office will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Currently, the clerk's office is open from 8 a.m. to midnight 365 days a year.

Amy Harvey, county clerk since January 1999, says the move will save more than $100,000 annually in labor, energy and security.

"That still gives people 12 hours a day to get in here, and it saves the cost of being open until midnight," Harvey says.

Harvey says data shows few wedding certificates are issued during those periods. The County Clerk's office also is operating under a 30 percent staff reduction since the last budget cycle.

But owners of wedding chapels, who need the clerk's office to issue marriage licenses, contend that lost revenues from tourism will far outweigh projected savings.

Bev Van Dusseldorp, owner of Antique Angel Wedding Chapel at North Virginia Street and the Truckee River, says Reno weddings often draw 40 to as many as 150 people.

"Nobody realizes the impact weddings have on the downtown sector," Van Dusseldorp says. Eighty-five percent or more of the weddings that take place in Reno are from out of state.

"We have weddings of 40 or more every weekend. They come in on Friday and they leave on Sunday. That is money spent in downtown Reno."

Adds George Flint, owner of Chapel of the Bells: "It is just one more thing that keeps these motels dark and hotel rooms empty."

Reno's few remaining chapel owners are worried about the potential impacts reduced hours at the courthouse might have on their businesses. The city once boasted 16 wedding chapels and enjoyed a well-earned reputation as an easy place to get married during the industry peak of the late 1970s, more than 600 couples per week were getting married in Washoe County.

In 1978, there were 36,794 marriage licenses issued in Washoe County. Today that number has declined by more than 60 percent, Harvey says.

Currently there are five standalone chapels in Reno and chapels in several casinos as well.

Flint has been performing wedding nuptials for five decades. He's concerned that reduced clerk hours may deter weddings from drive-in markets in the Sacramento and Central valleys.

"It puts us in a jeopardous position it's one more chink in the armor that Reno is not a 24-hour town and can't compete with Las Vegas," Flint says. "If you are living in Fresno, it's probably more advantageous to drive to Vegas than to Reno."

Chapel of the Bells currently is open every night until 11 p.m. and until midnight on the weekends. Flint says it probably will be more practical to reduce his hours as well once the new hours are in effect at the County Clerk's office.

Flint says the remaining independent operators which include the Silver Bells Wedding Chapel, Arch of Reno Wedding Chapel, and Agape Love Chapel all are teetering financially and can't stand any further declines in revenues.

Harvey says there has been some preliminary discussion about having someone at the Washoe County Sheriff's Office becoming a deputy clerk, or maybe even moving a deputy clerk to the sheriff's office to issue licenses during off hours.

Flint, meanwhile, advocates that chapel owners should be responsible for issuing marriage licenses.

Ron Fisk, owner of Agape Love Wedding Chapel at the Sands Regency, says the biggest impact will come from reduced hours on holidays that fall on weekdays and three-day weekends.

"I am always open longer hours because I know I'll get more people," Fisk says. "It will not only cost the wedding chapels but also other businesses that rely on wedding chapels."

Fisk expects a reduction in hours for making marriage licenses available will cost the chapel industry 10 to 20 percent throughout the year.

Combined, Fisk says, the wedding chapels bring more tourists to Reno than any single convention.

"We bring more people in during 52 weeks than any convention in town and they want to reduce the hours, which will basically kill the business."

Harvey says she understands business owners' concerns, but the reduced hours not only save the county money, it also just makes sense.

"They have been struggling and working hard trying to salvage their businesses," Harvey says. "But times have changed; less people are getting married."