Reginald Rogers said the moment he saw his now-wife, Tyme Rogers, he fell in love. The two met at his sister’s Sweet 16 party eight years ago.
“I knew she was going to be my wife,” he said, gazing at Tyme.
The Rogerses were one of four couples married at House Three Thirty as part of the Akron Municipal Court’s off-site weddings on Valentine’s Day. They were officiated by Judge Jon Oldham, who has been marrying couples since 2015.
Oldham said he enjoys the time he gets to spend with the couples and the children some of them bring along. Seeing the kids have fun and create a new family memory is one of his favorite parts, he said.
Ruth White-Wardell and Dawn Wardell-White brought their granddaughter, Mary Belle Cooper, whom Ruth is raising. The family went out to dinner and played the “hangman” word game, in which Cooper revealed the secret phrase, “Will you marry my mom?” to Dawn.
Ruth and Dawn met on TikTok through an LGBTQ+ Bible study and quickly hit it off. Nine months later, Ruth was down on one knee. The couple initially planned to marry in the spring but saw the promotions for the weddings and thought the “perfect sign of love is Valentine’s Day.”
House Three Thirty was one of two locations for today’s weddings – earlier in the day, Judge Ron Cable married more couples at the Akron Civic Theatre.
Future off-site wedding opportunities include the Akron Art Museum for “Leap Day” on Feb. 29 and the Towpath Tennis Center for “Pi Day” on March 14 (3.14).
Those interested in learning more should contact Akron Municipal Court’s Chief Service Bailiff Patricia Williams at 330-375-2592 to make sure space is still available. Couples must obtain a marriage license before the ceremony.
“I do not issue any warranties with any weddings,” Oldham said. “I perform the wedding, guarantee it’s legal, but it’s up to the couples after that to make it work out.”
