Starry-eyed couples no longer have to wait in line at the Missoula County Courthouse to apply for a marriage license. Now they can apply online.

Missoula County Clerk of District Court Shirley Faust said that until just recently, couples would have to come to the courthouse twice before they got married.

"It used to be that they'd have to spend 20 to 30 minutes in our office as we collected all the information," Faust said. "This allows the couples to complete the process in their own home rather than having to stand here in our office and have to call mom to get her maiden name and dad to find out where he was born.They do still have to show up in our office to get their license, which costs $53, but instead of being 20 to 30 minutes, it's down to five or ten."

Faust says her staff issues between 800 and 900 marriage licenses a year, and half of those are in the months of May, June, July and August, so the online registration gives her staff more time to do other work.

Faust said with all the crime and violence handled in the courthouse, marriage licenses and weddings are a welcome distraction.

"That's one of the highlights of our day is interacting with these couples getting ready to be married," she said. "They're very happy, and they're also stressed out, so they don't want to spend a lot of time in our office, so we're happy to make it easier for them."

Oh, in case you were wondering, marriage licenses in Missoula are gender neutral, simply stating 'Spouse 1 and Spouse 2.

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