Searching for Sites, Queens Couple Find Westbrook

Sharon DeJoya and Leni Tan of New York City wanted to find just the right spot for their small August wedding, so they decided to explore options using the Internet from their home in Queens. Using the first search term of "Connecticut Weddings" and a second for "Bed and Breakfasts," they found their wedding spot in Westbrook.

They aren't alone.

Town Clerk Joan Angelini said that the Town Clerk's office has issued more than 110 marriage licenses in the past six months, up from the 100 licenses the office issued during the same period in 2009. Unlike other states, Connecticut doesn't require couples to have a blood test before issuing them a marriage license and there is no waiting period, so couples travel from New York state and even further away to be married in the state.

Tan and DeJoya traveled to Westbrook from Queens last week just to apply for a marriage license (a new Connecticut law requires that all couples apply for a marriage license in the same town in which they will be married).

"We checked in the Internet for a place to be married and we saw Westbrook," said Tan. "The photos of Westbrook were beautiful."

"Most of the couples that come to Westbrook are planning a simple civil ceremony, often because they have previously been married or for simplicity and economic factors," said Angelini.

Many are married by Old Saybrook Justice of the Peace Jean Winkler.

A change in the law to allow same-sex couples to marry has also led to an increase in the number of same-sex marriages and civil ceremonies in town.

"Westbrook has both small and large venues that are popular for weddings and receptions," said Angelini.

Deb DeCristofaro, a clerk in the office, enjoys helping out the couples that arrive looking to explore Westbrook and the shoreline area after they get their marriage license.

"I always give them a map of Westbrook and a brochure that includes information about town businesses and services," said DeCristofaro.

Old Saybrook Town Clerk Sarah Becker said that, for whatever reason, she issues fewer marriage certificates to couples than does the Westbrook Town Clerk's office. In the first six months of this year, Old Saybrook's Town Clerk recorded issuing 69 marriage licenses compared to the 110 in Westbrook.

What the Westbrook marriage numbers illustrate, though, is the power of the Internet as a resource for promoting tourism. And with state tourism spending at just $1 for the current fiscal year, these examples offer promising strategies to pursue in seeking to land the elusive tourist dollar.