Couples get hitched on 8/8/08

The month, date and year are represented by the same number just once every year.

This coincidence prompted couples in Kane and McHenry counties to seek wedding licenses that would bear Friday's date: 8/8/08.

McHenry County Clerk Kathy Schultz said her office issued more marriage licenses than usual on Friday.

"There's been quite a few. Whether it's been because of Friday or the day, I don't know," Schultz said. "It was pretty slow this week until today."

Friday is typically the busiest day for issuing marriage licenses, the county clerk said.

Her office issued 10 licenses Friday. A week earlier, the office issued eight licenses.

"It's very typical for a Friday," Schultz said.

But couples would have had to get their licenses before Friday to get married on Aug. 8, Schultz said. A marriage license isn't effective until the day after it is issued.

"You'll see things like that - so that they can be married on a specific day such as Valentine's Day or New Year's Day," Schultz said.

Karen Greever, the Kane County Clerk's vital records supervisor, said her office noticed an increase in requests for marriage licenses, including at least two from couples who said they planned to get married Friday because of the unique date.

Greever did not yet have an official tally of the number of weddings that took place Friday but said she suspected there were more than usual.

"Most of the time, it's superstition, good luck, that type of thing" that prompts couples to zero in on an interesting date, Greever said.

In addition to popular wedding dates like Valentine's Day and New Year's Day, Greever said her office expects another rush in a year, a month and a day: Sept. 9, 2009.