Military Couples Offered Free Elopement Ceremonies for Oceanside Valentine's Week

OCEANSIDE, CA — Visit Oceanside, Vows from the Heart Ministries and Elope to Oceanside are seeking active-duty military members interested in a complimentary elopement ceremony as part of the citywide Oceanside Valentine's Week celebration Feb. 2-15, 2017. The organizations are joining forces for "Military Mondays: Special Edition" to provide romantic wedding ceremonies on Monday, Feb. 6 for a select number of servicemen and women.

"Many of our military don't have the luxury of planning a large wedding either due to unexpected deployments or financial hardship," says Rev. Christopher Tuttle with Vows from the Heart Ministries. "These waterfront elopements are a fun alternative to courthouse weddings. We take care of all of the ceremony details and provide a beautiful, romantic venue so that military members can focus on sharing the special day with their loved ones."

The complimentary ceremonies include an officiated ceremony on the ocean view lawn at Oceanside Marina Suites, beautiful ceremony archway, bridal bouquets, a small wedding cake, photography and processional/recessional music. Applicants must be active-duty members of the U.S. military, must have a valid military identification card and must not be married. Applications can be found at: Visitoceanside.org/free-oceanside-military-wedding. The deadline to apply is Jan. 6, 2017.

"Military Mondays: Special Edition" is an extension of Military Mondays, a philanthropic outreach of Rev. Christopher Tuttle and Chaplain Mary Cyr-Tuttle, a husband and wife chaplain team from Vows From The Heart Ministries and Elope to Oceanside. They present this free service as an alternative to the "courthouse" wedding for all full-time active duty military members regardless of branch of service, time in the military or rank.

The second annual Oceanside Valentine's Week is a citywide celebration to celebrate love of all kinds with fun events and specials for all ages. From Feb. 2-14, 2017, businesses and attractions will come together to offer themed specials from hotel and dining packages to sunset harbor cruises, an outdoor family-friendly movie night at the beach, a classic car cruise night and even a Valentine's Day run and bike event. Visitors interested in learning more about Oceanside Valentine's Week and other exciting events happening during the celebration can visit OceansideValentinesWeek.org.

(News release and photo from Visit Oceanside Conference and Visitors Bureau, the official tourism marketing organization in Oceanside, California.)