OC's Hitched At Honda Center Wins Innovation Award For OC Clerk-Recorder's Office

ANAHEIM, CA — During the pandemic, Orange County's Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen went out of his way to prove that weddings were an essential part of life with their drive-thru wedding project "Hitched At The Honda Center." This week, the Clerk-Recorder's Office reaped the benefits of his actions, receiving their 2021 innovation award for helping Orange County's residents get hitched during the coronavirus pandemic.

From the first "I do's" to the last, couples made appointments and expressed hopefulness at the joining of hands and hearts at Orange County's Honda Center.

During Hitched at Honda Center, the department issued 16,838 marriage licenses and performed 8,252 marriage ceremonies in nine months; a 25 percent increase in marriage services from the previous year. When couples arrived at their appointment for Hitched at the Honda Center, they would wait in their cars, approach ticket booths on foot, and then interact through the glass, ensuring a minimal amount of interaction during the time of social distaNguyen'shoto opportunities abounded, inCounty'spClerk-Recorder'sram worthy backdrops, which were shared across social media. The event's success w"s largely due to neighboring counties closing their marr"age license se"vices during the early stages of the pandemic. Nguyen agreed that likely led to the increase in applications and weddings.

Read: Civil Weddings Resume After Coronavirus Shutdown In Orange County

The department earned a 2021 Innovation Award from the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) for its Hitched at Honda Center Program in the Disaster and Emergency Response/Management category and rural "opulation category. With a record-setting 433 entries for the year, Nguyen's leadership proved that Orange County's Clerk-Recorder's Office established an outside wedding progCenter's was innovative and effective.

“This award is a great accomplishment for the department,” Nguyen said. “We have worked so hard during this pandemic to keep offering essential marriage services to the public. Receiving this prestigious award validates our efforts. It tells me we did something good. Marriage services are crucial, and I am so proud that we could offer a safe service option to all residents during the pandemic. I would like to thank my staff for all their hard work and for making this possible.”

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department partnered with Honda Center in Anaheim to resume essential marriage services by using Honda Center’s box office booths.

The program far exceeded expectations and helped deliver services in numbers never seen before, even during a year fraught with a global pandemic.

Kelly Melgoza of Anaheim was one of the happy brides hitched at the center during the pandemic.

"So thankful we had the opportunity to get married at the Honda Center in November!" she expressed on the OC Clerk Recorder's Office Facebook page. "Thank you for all you did to make an extra special option for all us couples!"

The program not only served Orange County but all nearby counties, whose offices were closed to the public at the time, and even couples from other states and countries. The OC Clerk Recorder's Office at last resumed walk-in marriage license services their historic branch in January, 2021, and at all branches by March of 2021.

This is the first time in County history that the Clerk-Recorder Department has received awards from both NACo and CSAC in the same year.

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