The Marrying Mayor of Loveland, Ohio

The Marrying Mayor of Loveland, Ohio

When Donna Lajcak was elected mayor of Loveland, Ohio, in 1999, she knew she would be busy with the usual chores associated with small-town government. What she didn’t expect was that her power to marry couples—granted by state law to all Ohio mayors—would keep her almost as busy as her official duties.

Since taking office, Lajcak has married more than 100 couples and renewed marriage vows for four others, all while maintaining day-to-day activities such as parleying with civic leaders and attending city council and committee meetings.

“I try to schedule the weddings when I know I will be at City Hall on business, or when I can connect them to official duties I’m conducting around town,” says Lajcak, who grew up in Clairton, Pa., but has called Loveland her home for the last 22 years.

Last fall, the Marrying Mayor of Loveland united four couples in one day and filled in during a matrimonial “emergency” last summer. She was gardening at home when a woman knocked on her door and explained that more than 100 guests were assembled for a wedding at the local Eagles hall, but the minister had not arrived.

Lajcak quickly changed her gardening clothes for more suitable attire and rushed to the hall, entering to grateful applause. She married the anxious couple and returned home to her garden.

“They never did find out why the minister didn’t show up,” Lajcak says. “But I was happy to do it. I’ll never forget it.”

Lajcak cites the city’s name as the obvious reason so many couples come to Loveland (pop. 11,677) to get hitched. (The town is named for an early settler and is nicknamed the Sweetheart of Ohio.)

Some couples also appreciate the sensitive, feminine quality Lajcak brings to her ceremonies.

“She was very polite,” says Michelle Mitchell, whose wedding ceremony was conducted by Lajcak last July. “I thought it was great that the city had a woman representing it, and I was very pleased to have a woman performing the service.”

Surrounded by about 40 guests, Michelle and Mark Mitchell were married in the City Council chambers, where the seal of the city, which features a large heart, is prominently displayed on the wall.

Lajcak sometimes adds a personal touch, flavoring the traditional ceremonial language with her favorite verses from the Bible.

“The ceremony she picked out for us was very nice,” Steve Nelson says. “She did a professional job.”

Lajcak has married couples from across the nation and from 17 countries around the world, including China, Italy, Poland, and Venezuela.

One of the most memorable ceremonies Lajcak performed was her first. The couple stood beneath a tree, where they had first met, on the bike trail along the Little Miami River. The groom’s mother lived in San Francisco and could not attend the wedding but the cellular phone the groom fastened to his coat allowed her to hear every word and to speak with the mayor after the ceremony.

“Each one is different,” Lajcak says, “and each one is very personal. It’s great to be a witness to them.”

John Kachuba is a freelance writer in Athens, Ohio.

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