Courthouse weddings are booming as many couples skip pricey traditional ceremonies

A number of West Coast couples are reportedly foregoing costly, extravagant weddings these days. Instead, they're favoring simple courthouse ceremonies. The demand for straightforward civil ceremonies is causing a rush for marriage appointments at municipal buildings in California, the Los Angeles Times recently reported. "They pretty much get picked up as soon as we release them," Santa Barbara County Clerk Melinda Greene told the publication. "We have people from all over the world." TAYLOR SW