All You Need is Love

Valentine's Day is one of the busiest days to get married at the courthouse and savvy couples pick it not just for the romantic anniversary date. Some jurisdictions add free celebratory extras for weddings on that day only.

In Fairfax County, the room is decorated with lights and flowers, and every bride gets a carnation. Celebrant Gerald Williams in Arlington County gives each Valentine's Day couple a video of the ceremony. A short walk from the Prince George's County Courthouse, Darnall's Chance House Museum throws a reception for couples who tie the knot on Valentine's Day, serving champagne, punch and wedding cake.

Baltimore's popular Wedding on Ice, a mass wedding of couples on skates followed by a reception, isn't happening this year because the rink near the Harbor is being renovated. Instead, get your hands on free ice another way: the first 2,000 people in line at Ikea stores on Feb. 14 have a chance to win a one-carat diamond ring, and it involves a scavenger hunt for a ring in an Ikea kitchen display.

It's true -- money can't buy you love or happiness. But if the celebrity wedding you aspire to is Matt Damon's (who married at City Hall), you'll have extra cash for a splashy honeymoon and a long life together.

-- Anne