Two “royal” couples honored in Cook County

By Sebastian James at April 29, 2011 | 4:25 pm | Print

Two unsuspecting couples were named Cook County “royalty” Friday morning when they entered the Bureau of Vital Records.

Cook County Clerk David Orr and Eli’s Cheesecake president Marc Schulman decided to have some fun with the hoopla surrounding the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton by surprising a local couple with a three-tiered wedding cake.

But two couples turned up to the Clerk’s downtown Chicago office – one needed a license and the other wanted to be married. Their wishes were granted.

Brad Gentert, 31, of La Salle, and Jamie Kempinski, 30, of Wisconsin, were the first to arrive at 8:30 a.m. (See photo at right)

The couple, who now live in Chicago’s West Loop, will be married May 14 at a destination wedding in Mexico.

“We never expected this, but it’s a great surprise,” Kempinski said. “It will be something we always remember.”

For Matt Gervais and Nandika Doobay, who live in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood, the wedding date was crucial but had nothing to do with the famous ceremony in England. It was 10 years ago today they met and fell in love.

The bride, a writer from New York, donned a white bonnet and carried a colorful bouquet. They were joined by the groom’s parents.

Clerk Orr officiated and wished the couple a long lifetime together.

“This is a fun way to celebrate all of the couples who come to our office to get their marriage licenses,” Orr said.

Both couples cut the three-tiered wedding cake. The top layer was a chocolate biscuit cake, inspired by a favorite of Prince William. The bottom two tiers were signature cheesecake.

Schulman announced that both couples would get a cheesecake every year on their anniversary.

The Clerk’s office and Eli’s Cheesecake held a similar ”ceremony” in 1981 on the day Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer

 

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