New Hitching Post

Later this month -- most likely Feb. 21 -- a new Clark County clerk's branch will open in Henderson two days a week, fulfilling a legislative mandate to expand into the suburbs and provide an alternate venue for issuing marriage licenses.

This location, by itself, doesn't rattle too many cages inside the wedding chapel industry in downtown Las Vegas, which has been the only place in the metro area to get a marriage license.

The new office, on Water Street in downtown Henderson, will be about twice as far from the south end of the Strip as it is to downtown Las Vegas. The new office will close at 6 p.m., far earlier than the Las Vegas Marriage Bureau's midnight shutdown.

But it raises an interesting question: What happens to chapels downtown if people don't have to go there to get a wedding license?

It's not a rhetorical question. Clark County Clerk Shirley Parraguirre has said she would like to have a branch office close to the south end of the Strip and McCarran International Airport, although for now the county isn't willing to spend the money to make that happen.

"If we could get a Henderson office that was closer in proximity to the airport and the southern hotels, we might even be able to get people the minute they fly in," she said.

In fact, her office found a location at Eastern and Pebble, near I-215 and an easy jaunt from the Strip, but the $18,000 annual lease cost was deemed too expensive.

The new office will be in space donated by Henderson and staffed by current clerk employees. The location is good news for the Little Chapel on the Corner, Henderson's only wedding chapel, mere blocks away from the new clerk's office.

Joe and Kathy Russell operate the chapel with owners Sharron Skupa and James Vincent. The Russells also run a chapel at Lake Las Vegas' Montelago Village.

They were part of the lobbying effort for legislation passed last year stating that cities with populations between 150,000 and 400,000 should have a county clerk branch.

"Henderson is the second biggest city in the state," said Assemblywoman Ellen Koivisto, D-Las Vegas, according to legislative records. "It seemed time that the folks who want to get married in Henderson could get their marriage licenses in Henderson."

Jack Jeffrey, representing Skupa, told lawmakers it was "a matter of convenience and economic necessity."

"If a person goes to Las Vegas, even a Henderson resident, they have to go to the courthouse to get a marriage license," he said. "They usually get married in Las Vegas rather than the area of Henderson."

Joe Russell said the marriage bureau has branches in Mesquite and Laughlin.

"Henderson was lacking," he said. "They felt that it would be, as we feel, an real enhancement to bring business into downtown Henderson."

It will make the process more convenient for the Russells' customers, at least on Thursdays and Fridays when the new office is open.

Frequently, clients staying at Lake Las Vegas arrive late at night, too late to visit the downtown marriage bureau before midnight. Making a return trip the next day is inconvenient, Russell said.

If the new office proves popular and expands its hours, Russell said other chapels might open in Henderson.

"I can see it in the next three to five years, once this really takes root," he said.

But he didn't think downtown chapels should be too worried.

"I don't think they should be concerned as far as losing business," he continued. "I think what it's going to do is raise the bar. We need to be concerned about the integrity of the Las Vegas wedding business, how we can offer better service."

Among downtown chapel owners, opinions are mixed on whether a satellite office will hurt.

Khalid Alexander, co-owner of Lily of the Valley Wedding Chapel, said having the marriage bureau downtown is a boost for the area. Couples picking up a wedding license often stay downtown for lunch or visit the Fremont Street Experience.

"While they're here, they come downtown and spend money," he said. "A lot of them don't have any reason to come downtown except to get a marriage license."

Sherrie Klute of the Stained Glass Wedding Chapel said she isn't worried about a branch location, even if one is established at or close to the airport.

Having a location more convenient to the airport would be a boon for couples visiting on a tight timeline, she said.

"If they're able to get their license before they come to their hotel, they're going to go to the chapel they booked anyway," she said. "People driving from L.A. aren't going to go to an airport."

The convenience for guests would outweigh chapel concerns, she said: "I just think an additional office would be great."

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or (702) 229-6435.