COVID-19 pandemic forces Bexar County couples to seek courthouse marriages

Big weddings postponed due to crowd restrictions

SAN ANTONIO – When Michael Bragg and his bride-to-be, Crystal, purchased a marriage license last week at the Bexar County Courthouse, they decided since they were already there they would tie the knot immediately.

"We did have other plans," Bragg said. "It wasn't what we planned to do."

Their original plans called for a big celebration, he said.

“After they started limiting the number of people gathering, we said, ‘We’ll have to do it later,’” Bragg said. “So we just decided to do it now.”

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Judge Velia Meza's schedule had an opening and she performed the short ceremony.

“We’re still going to have a ceremony and celebration when things clear up,” Crystal Bragg said. “And in the meantime, I get to be married to this guy, so I’m pretty happy.”

COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March. The first case confirmed in the U.S. was in mid-January and the first case confirmed in San Antonio was in mid-February.

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About the Authors
Paul Venema headshot

Paul Venema is a courthouse reporter for KSAT with more than 25 years experience in the role.

Sal Salazar headshot

Sal Salazar is a photojournalist at KSAT 12. Before coming to KSAT in 1998, he worked at the Fox affiliate in San Antonio. Sal started off his career back in 1995 for the ABC Affiliate in Lubbock and has covered many high-profile news events since. In his free time, he enjoys spending time at home, gaming and loves traveling with his wife.

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