Cook County Issues First Marriage License of 2026 as Couple Weds at Clerk’s Office (Cook County, IL) – History was made Friday in the Cook County Clerk’s Office as a Humboldt Park couple received the county’s first marriage license of 2026 and were married in a ceremony officiated by Clerk Monica Gordon.
Melissa Nunez, 25, and Elizabeth Branske, 27, became the first couple to marry in Cook County this year and the first lesbian couple to wed through the Clerk’s Office’s annual marriage lottery. The ceremony was held at the Clerk’s Office in downtown Chicago and attended by family and friends.
The couple, who began dating in 2023 after meeting on the dating app Tinder, were selected from nearly 1,000 entries submitted to the popular marriage license lottery, which traditionally marks the start of the new year at the Clerk’s Office.
“Welcoming the new year by celebrating love is one of the most special traditions of this office, and it’s an honor to continue it with Cook County’s first marriage of 2026,” Gordon said in a statement. “This ceremony represents so much hope and joy — a reminder that even as the calendar turns, the values that bring us together remain the same.”
As part of the lottery, the newlyweds also received a package of gifts donated by Chicago-area businesses, including a one-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago; a gourmet dinner gift box from Whittingham Meats; a sparkling wine basket from Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant; a gift card from Eli’s Cheesecake; wedding dance lessons from Duet Dance Studio; a cooking lesson from The Chopping Block; floral arrangements from LaSalle Flower Group; and tickets to a comedy show at Laugh Factory Chicago.
The annual marriage lottery has become a signature event for the Clerk’s Office, drawing hundreds of hopeful couples each year eager to begin married life with the first license issued in the new year.
For Nunez and Branske, the occasion was both personal and symbolic — a celebration of their relationship and a milestone moment for the county as 2026 officially got underway.
Cook County Issues First Marriage License of 2026 as Couple Weds at Clerk’s Office
