On Sunday, July 24, thousands of same-sex couples are planning to celebrate New York’s historic legalization of marriage equality with wedding ceremonies of their own.
However, the high applicant volume has led city officials to create a lottery system for determining which couples will be able to marry at city offices come Sunday – and limit the number of couples scheduled for Sunday services to 764 out of over 1,700.
According to the Los Angeles Times, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that officials have done the necessary research to conclude that “the number of couples who want to marry on Sunday is more than the city clerk’s offices could possibly handle.”
Bloomberg went on to say that the lottery system is “the fairest way to determine who [can]…wed on Sunday” while ensuring adequate time and options for wedding planning. City officials agreed with the mayor’s assessment and noted that a rush on city offices would make it impossible for couples to enjoy a special wedding day without the risk of hitting long lines or even being turned away due to overcrowding.
Christine Quinn, City Council Speaker for New York City, explained that officials wanted to avoid a day reminiscent of a trip to the DMV.
Only one couple – a pair of city officials whose wedding is to be officiated by the mayor himself – is exempt from the lottery system.
