Story, photos and video by Cat Cutillo

Andria Watson was nearly eight-months-pregnant, standing in borrowed shoes and a wedding dress and veil she’d bought online a few weeks earlier. Her husband-to-be, Zach Beaudoin, was wearing a suit he already owned. From the time they parked their car at the Santa Cruz County Courthouse to the short walk up the stairs to the Clerk’s office, half a dozen people had already congratulated them. Their only attendant at the wedding was their wedding photographer, Jamie Taylor, who had been their maternity photographer just weeks earlier.

“I loved the juxtaposition of this being the most special day of our lives but also just being something totally mundane,” Andria said. “We don’t need more peak experiences. We just want forever.”

*Andria and Zach Beaudoin at the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s Office with their wedding photographer, Jamie Taylor, before their ceremony on Friday, February 13, 2026. Photos by Cat Cutillo*

The Beaudoins said they loved the simplicity of a courthouse wedding. Even better, the Santa Cruz County Courthouse calendar had availability for Friday the 13th of February.

“It was tied into Valentine’s Day, and we knew it was Friday the 13th, but we were horror movie fans to begin with so that didn’t deter us,” Andria said. “That’ll be a good anniversary for the rest of our lives.”

Andria and Zach Beaudoin at the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s Office with their wedding photographer, Jamie Taylor, before their ceremony on Friday, February 13, 2026. Photos by Cat Cutillo

Zach said they had prioritized starting a family over planning a wedding. They had just put on a huge baby shower and attended two destination weddings in the span of six months. They loved the simplicity of having their own wedding be just the two of them.

“We had to use IVF to get pregnant so even that took a whole team of medical experts, so it was like ‘let’s just do something that’s just for us,” Andria said.

Andria said she was surprised by how touching the courthouse’s vows were.

Yvonne Leonor, who is one of six people who perform wedding ceremonies at the Clerk’s office, said couples are often caught off guard by how special the experience is for them.

“I think the best part is seeing everyone’s reactions,” Leonor said. “They’re crying and they’re like ‘I didn’t think this would be so emotional’.”

“Seeing people and these big moments really is my favorite part,” Leonor said. “You’re helping someone start a new future together.”

Andria and Zach Beaudoin during their ceremony at the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s Office on Friday, February 13, 2026. Photos by Cat Cutillo

Leonor said people choose a courthouse wedding for a variety of reasons including the ceremony’s low-cost of $120, the quick availability and the ceremony’s intimate and down-to-earth feeling.

The Santa Cruz County Clerk’s office books up to four ceremonies a day, five days a week. They offer indoor, outdoor and even “Quick Counter” ceremonies as short as 45 seconds. Leonor said Valentine’s Day is a popular date, as is Halloween.

Andria and Zach Beaudoin at the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s Office with their wedding photographer, Jamie Taylor, before their ceremony on Friday, February 13, 2026. Photos by Cat Cutillo

After their ceremony, the Beaudoins headed downtown to take more photos and eat a breakfast sandwich at Pretty Good Advice, the location of their third date. They stopped to take a photo in front of some foliage on the side of a parking garage and Andria noted how she loved how the picturesque backdrop was a “funny combo of beautiful and kind of wretched at the same time.”

The couple said they were looking forward to spending their wedding night speaking at a rehab facility.

“We’re both in recovery,” Andria said. “It’s the place where we actually first met.”

As they walked through downtown Santa Cruz, Zach said another 50 people congratulated them along the way and honked as they drove by. They were interviewed by a reporter asking people on the street if Friday the 13th was lucky or unlucky.

Zach said one man, who was sitting on the curb, even stood up, took off his hat and saluted them.

Despite having invited no guests to their courthouse wedding, they described the experience like a two-person parade where an entire City showed up to send them off.

Zach said, “We made jokes that if we’re ever feeling down, we’ll just put this garb back on.”

Lucky in Love: A Friday the 13th pre-Valentine Wedding