Jan. 02--Brenda Bravo left her high heels at the hotel and had to wear snow boots to her wedding. But she still insisted, "We're starting the year off on the right foot."
Bravo, 30, and Jose Castro, 33, stayed overnight at a Loop hotel and arrived at the Daley Center at 5 a.m. Friday so they could be the first couple to get a marriage license in 2015. They beat the next couple by hours and were married by Cook County Clerk David Orr.
Holding a bouquet of flowers presented by the clerk's office, Bravo wore dark pants, a cream-colored blouse and a pearly necklace. Her suede snow boots were stylish but not her first choice.
"My daughter forgot my heels at the hotel," said Bravo, laughing.
Bravo and Castro have been together 14 years and have two children Ariel, 14, and Adriel, 8. Castro said he asked Bravo last July to marry him after years of -- encouragement -- from his mother.
The bride and groom stood in the cold for an hour before the doors to the Daley Center opened at 6 a.m. "It wasn't that cold,'' Bravo said. "I brought hand warmers."
At 8:30 a.m., the couple walked into the records office to get their marriage license first. "We're excited," Bravo said.
The couple laughed as staffers passed two boxes of tissue to them while asking for their family names, Social Security numbers and other details. The boxes went unused.
After getting their license, Bravo and Castro held hands as they walked down the hall and rode an elevator to Orr's office. Adriel, their ring bearer, and Ariel stood beside them as Orr performed the brief marriage ceremony.
"Are you ready?" Orr asked.
Adriel, whose nickname is "Little T," handed his father the ring for his mother. Castro had a little trouble putting the ring on at first, prompting laughs as the ring was finally in place and Orr declared, "It fits."
"May your lives be long and happy,'' Orr said as the couple kissed.
With a huge grin, Adriel said he was feeling "happy'' after the wedding as he sat with his sister's arm around him.
Other family members were also there, including Castro's sister, Julie Rios, and her husband, Jose, who stayed overnight at a downtown hotel to make sure everyone got there on time.
Bravo's cousin Virginia Ortega was also there. "She is my favorite cousin -- we're like sisters.''
Castro, a patient escort for a suburban hospital, met Bravo, who works in customer service, through a family friend. They were thinking of getting married at the end of the year but decided they would be the first married couple of the new year.
"We talked about it in the car every day for two weeks," Ariel said.
In addition to flowers and tissues, the clerk's office gave them a gift package which included a two night stay at the Palmer House Hilton, a $100 gift certificate to Wildfire restaurant and four tickets to an improv comedy show.
Castro's mother, Virginia Castro, admitted to years of "nagging" because she knew Bravo was the right girl for her son.
"It took awhile," Castro said as laughter erupted through the crowd.
"I am so happy," said Virginia Castro. "I knew she loved me, and I knew she loved my son."
