What did you do on Valentine’s Day? Why nearly 100 people were at McHenry Mansion

A romantic holiday, an ornate Victorian mansion — the setting was just what several couples in the Modesto region wanted for their wedding day.

Marriage at the Mansion again was held on Valentine’s Day at the historic McHenry Mansion in downtown Modesto. Six deputy commissioners of civil marriages were deputized for one day only to help officiate the weddings of 48 couples who signed up to celebrate their love on the most romantic day of the year.

Three rooms inside the mansion were used to conduct concurrent ceremonies, according to Donna Linder, Stanislaus County clerk, recorder and commissioner of civil marriages.

Linder and her staff invite couples nearly every year to take part in the ceremonies, held from morning into the afternoon on Valentine’s Day.

This year marked the eighth Marriage at the Mansion that the county clerk has offered since 2003. The non-religious civil ceremonies were conducted in English and in Spanish, with guests joining to celebrate along with the happy couples.