Now this is the ultimate in one-stop shopping.
That is, if you are looking for a place to get married, get divorced, pay your income taxes, buy a bridal gown, rent a tuxedo, purchase your ring, and get your immigration papers in one fell swoop - The Guadalupe Wedding Chapel is the place for you.
Right next door is Matrimonios Legales Divorcios. Where you can't buy a dress, rent a tux, or buy jewelry, but you can do all the rest.
For those of you who are clueless, on Broadway between Second and First Street - downtown has its own version of a "wedding row" but with a twist, of course.
Basically, you can walk in one door and say, "I do," and walk out another door, and say, "I don't anymore. He/she is a monster." And somewhere in between you can try on wedding clothes and pay your taxes.
I love these places. In fact, you might call me a little bit of a stalker.
On the weekends, I will meander outside and watch the typically large wedding parties filled with friends and relatives - roll out of their cars at Joe's lot next door, all spiffed up in their finest matching outfits - the guys in shiny black tuxedos and dress shoes, the women in coordinated bridesmaid dresses, the brides in long white full gowns that extend forever, and the little children carrying bunches of colorful flowers.
Almost everyone is speaking Spanish. And laughing. And posing for all to see the proud moment.
Then, as if on cue, they walk into one of these places together and seemingly, en mass, get married, leave together, drive out of Joe's with reved up engines and music blasting, and go - I don't know where.
This happens almost every hour on the hour, from 11 am until after dinner time. We're talking a lot of wedding parties. In between, I see people running out the door crying. Not happy tears, but "I never want to see you again as long as I live tears."
Wedding. Divorce. Wedding. Divorce. All weekend long.
I'm just fascinated by the whole thing. And I find it touching. And odd. And bitter sweet.
But think about this - maybe it's much easier to make a commitment to getting married, if you know you can get divorced in the same place. And pay your taxes, too. Could be a new trend. Oh, I'm calling Dr. Phil.
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