VALPARAISO | Eric Kappler and Annelies Betz stood near the front of the courtroom holding hands with their three small children.

In a short and simple ceremony carried out by Porter Superior Court Judge David Chidester, the Valparaiso couple were married Wednesday after nine years together.

"You don't know how many years I've been waiting for this," Eric's mother, Charlene Kappler, blurted out after the couple sealed their vows with a kiss.

She nearly had to wait a little longer had it not been for the generosity of Chidester and Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper, who agreed to open up the Porter County Courthouse in Valparaiso for a few hours Wednesday to fulfill the wishes of couples who planed to marry there on Valentine's Day.

The courthouse and other county buildings were closed for the day in the wake of Tuesday's winter storm and out of concern of continued weather problems.

Chidester and Harper, who happen to be married to each other, attempted to spread word of their plans by radio and by calling the 16 couples scheduled to be married Wednesday at the courthouse. They were helped by courthouse security officer Richie Tabor, who also came in on his day off.

"That's just because we're hopeless romantics," Harper said.

Chidester, who presides over most of the courthouse weddings, said Valentine's Day has traditionally been the most popular date for nuptials, though New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve are catching up.

Annelies Betz said it was her husband's idea to get married on Valentine's Day.

"I always joked it was so he would never forget," she said.

While the weather did not end up standing in the way of the couple exchanging vows, it did prevent family members from travelling from outside the area to share in the event.

That was not the case with Valparaiso residents Richard Harty and Nicole Lajcin, who exchanged vows in front of a large number of friends and family.

Among those was Richard's mother, Judy Harty, who said after racing around in the storm Tuesday night to wrap up the final details of the wedding, she heard news on the radio Wednesday morning that the courthouse was closed.

"It made me cry," she said.

She thanked Harper for opening the building and making her son's Valentine's Day wedding possible.

"I thought that was really nice," she said.