The Five People You’ll Meet in a County Probate Court While Getting Married
A portrait of humanity in Georgia bureaucracy
Six years, two months and 28 days after I met him, I applied for a marriage license to wed my partner. It cost $66. There was no waiting period. The event took 45 minutes, including the obligatory selfie outside the courthouse with our license.
My partner was new to Georgia. He’d visited before, but most of his trips had included typical sightseeing destinations — places like Amicalola Falls, Dahlonega, Stone Mountain, Savannah.
The County Probate Court is, for good reason, not on the list for top touristic spots. The building was grey and drab; there was a metal detector to walk through. There were a few dust bunnies haunting the floor.
But the people we met were something special.
As we went through the floors of the building, trying to find the right room, each individual we crossed paths with was like a person from a parable. Each one had a story to tell, a lesson to impart, a message to deliver.
1. The security guard who joked with us
This man was jolly — imbued with a thick Southern accent and the country charm that can come with it. He laughed with us as we…
