Trevor Ballantyne
The number of marriage licenses issued in Newton spiked this year as the COVID pandemic upended wedding plans and municipal clerks offices across the state.
Newton has 596 marriage licenses on file as of Dec. 22, 2020, compared to 391 registered in 2019, according to Assistant City Clerk for Vital Records Christopher Sullivan.
“A lot of people came from Boston,” Sullivan said of the increase.
According to Needham Town Clerk Theodora Eaton, the town has already processed 173 marriage certificates with a week remaining in 2020. Since 2015, the town has not filed more than 90 in a given calendar year, Eaton said.
Couples planning to get married anywhere in Massachusetts can visit any clerk’s office in the state to fill out a Marriage Intention form. Filling out the form, valid for 60 days, requires in-person signatures and payment of a marriage license fee that varies by municipality.