COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Love was in the central Ohio air on Valentines Day, as dozens of couples celebrated their love by making it official.

It’s been a Valentine’s Day tradition for more than a decade at the Franklin County Municipal Courthouse, where Franklin County Judges perform as many civil wedding ceremonies as possible on the famous day of love.

“Fantastic!” That’s what Eric Anderson said when asked how it felt to have he and his wife’s wedding ‘out of the way.’ Eric and Amanda were among the more than 70 couples expected to be wed at the courthouse on Tuesday.

When Eric slid the ring onto his new bride’s finger, their blended family of seven came full circle. “We just said, ‘We don’t want to wait anymore,’ and called to make an appointment and they said, ‘just come on Valentine’s Day.’ So, that’s how we ended up with a Valentine’s Day wedding,” Amanda describes.

While Eric says there’s no time like the present, Jermaine jokes he had his own reasons for marrying his bride on Valentine’s Day. “I might get slapped if I don’t remember the anniversary date,” laughs Jermaine Pye.

Jermaine and his now wife Kiarra are expecting their second son, and while many couples spend thousands of dollars on big, fancy weddings with lots of family and friends, they say they don’t need the distractions of a big wedding.

“It’s just for us. Private. It’s just meant for us today, we don’t need everybody,” the couple says. As couples arrived, music greeted them outside the courthouse. Once their vows were official, they were treated to snacks to celebrate the occasion.

But on this Valentine’s Day there’s nothing sweeter than saying ‘I do.’ If you and your significant other are looking for a quick, cost-effective way to tie the knot, Franklin County Municipal Courts perform civil wedding ceremonies throughout the year, by appointment.

For more information on scheduling a civil wedding ceremony on a date other than Valentine’s Day, visit the courthouse’s website.