Web Civil Weddings Offered in Calif

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) â€” Couples tying the knot in San Mateo County will soon have the option of inviting the world. <br><br>After a few test runs on Valentine's Day, officials in the county clerk's

Tuesday, February 20th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) â€” Couples tying the knot in San Mateo County will soon have the option of inviting the world.

After a few test runs on Valentine's Day, officials in the county clerk's office are preparing to offer Internet broadcasts for all civil marriages.

``This is the Silicon Valley,'' said county clerk Warren Slocum. ``We're surrounded by technology, and I'm interested in how technology can better serve people.''

Couples will send e-mail invitations to guests, who can then enter a password and watch the ceremony live on their computer screens.

Although the $1,200 wedding Webcam isn't ``like going to a movie theater,'' Slocum said the relatively low picture quality doesn't seem to bother the couples.

So far the Webcasts have been free, but Slocum said future Internet weddings will likely run about $10. A marriage license costs $78, and a civil ceremony is an additional $35.

This isn't the first high-tech project Slocum's office has come up with. It already posts voter registration lists online and is experimenting with Internet voting.

The county first offered Web weddings two years ago, and this year, five couples broadcast their Valentine's Day weddings online.

``If you wanted to invite your family from Texas, they could join you in cyberspace,'' Slocum said.

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On the Net: http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us