Aug 8, 2008 5:23 pm US/Pacific
8/8/08: A Wedding Day Filled With Luck
PALM SPRINGS
Couples worldwide plan to get married Friday -- 8/8/08 -- to take advantage of the memorable date and because some believe the number eight brings good luck.
"We've got 26 ceremonies scheduled. That's a record," said Palm Springs City Clerk James Thompson, who along with deputized City Councilwoman Ginny Foat will perform the marriages. Thompson said the majority of the ceremonies will be for same-sex couples, and while Fridays in general are busier, the day's volume of ceremonies was "unprecedented."
Thompson speculated that most of the couples like the idea of getting married on the easy-to-remember date of 8/8/08, but there also may be a hint of superstition involved. In China, the number 8 is considered lucky, which is why the Olympic Games are starting in Beijing Friday.
"It's a very lucky and prosperous day on the Chinese calendar," said City Councilwoman Ginny Foat, who expects to perform between 10 and 12 ceremonies."I'll be here at 8:30 a.m. and working round the clock."
"It's just so exciting, I love to do it... and it's so gratifying now that both gays and straights can get married in Palm Springs," said Foat, a lesbian.
Thompson added that beginning in September, when it cools down in the desert, "a ton" of ceremonies had already been scheduled for same-sex couples looking to tie the knot before Californians vote on a November ballot initiative that could ban gay marriage in the state.
He said there were still no ceremonies scheduled for Halloween.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
