Question:
How many steps does it take to get married in New York City?
The answer is two steps.
First, you apply for a marriage license, and then you can hold the wedding ceremony.
So... on the first day after the holidays, which was a workday for New York City Hall, Hawk and Gwen, armed with all the necessary documents to apply for a marriage license, headed to City Hall bright and early.
Applying for a marriage license is the most important step in getting married.
Without it, you cannot legally marry.
Las Vegas being the exception.
In the city clerk's office.
After the clerk checked Hawk's and Gwen's IDs, he took out an application form and handed it to them.
Gwen took it, quickly filled out the contents, and as she handed it back to the clerk, she glanced at Hawk beside her.
"Last chance, Mr. Phoenix, you can still back out."
"Back out?"
Hawk raised an eyebrow, looking at the smiling Gwen: "You have no idea how long I've waited for this day."
Gwen's smile was radiant.
"Then, we're married, Mr. Phoenix."
"Alright, Mrs. Phoenix."
"...You two aren't married yet!"
Sitting behind the desk, the clerk, who had been unexpectedly force-fed a mouthful of PDA, twitched his lips, looking at Hawk and Gwen, who were gazing lovingly at each other, oblivious to their surroundings: "You need to wait another twenty-four hours before you can get married."
As everyone knows.
Any application has an approval period.
A marriage license is no different.
Although once you receive the marriage license, it is valid for sixty days, and you can hold the wedding ceremony anywhere in New York State on any day within those sixty days.
But!
There is a mandatory twenty-four-hour waiting period from the issuance of the license to the holding of the wedding ceremony.
You can think of it as an approval period.
Of course.
You can also think of it as a cooling-off period for marriage.
In short—
"At least for today, you two cannot be called Mr. and Mrs. Phoenix."
"Now, take your license and leave my office."
"Next!"
The clerk, who had just gotten divorced this Christmas, stamped the license with a snap and a cold face, handed it to the couple, and immediately rushed them out.
Hawk and Gwen exchanged glances, took the license, and quickly left.
They were busy.
Busy with tomorrow's wedding, otherwise, they would have definitely gone to the mayor's office to complain about this clerk who had no sense of customer service.
Oh, right, this is a capitalist society.
Never mind then.
Like the wind.
Hawk drove back towards 521A Palm Street, while Gwen, sitting in the passenger seat, took out her "Wedding Planning Handbook" from her bag, flipped it open, and checked off "Marriage License" which had several stars drawn next to it.
The next second.
"sh*t."
Gwen suddenly froze: "I forgot to book a licensed wedding officiant with City Hall."
Hawk, who was driving, said: "No need, I confirmed with George yesterday when we went to Trinity Church. The priest at Trinity Church is qualified."
Although most clergy can serve as wedding officiants.
But... better safe than sorry.
As everyone knows.
Wanda scientifically gave birth to three of Hawk's bloodline descendants, and Gwen didn't go crazy, even appearing very magnanimous.
But if the wedding couldn't proceed normally tomorrow.
Hehe.
Gwen would definitely go crazy.
Therefore—
Hawk specifically confirmed with the priest at Trinity Church yesterday, and also had Sharon's side check to ensure everything was foolproof.
Indeed.
Gwen, hearing Hawk's words, breathed a sigh of relief, then looked down at the next line in her notebook.
"Groomsmen."
"Peter, Thor, Barton, and Pietro, their outfits were tried on the day before yesterday, I told you."
"I know, I'm just confirming. Sharon, Jane, Dr. Zhao, Natasha, and Mary's dresses... wait, Mary."
Gwen raised an eyebrow, took out her phone from her bag, and called Mary Jane, who had gone to Los Angeles.
The call connected quickly.
"Mary, are you back in New York City? I'm getting married tomorrow, and you haven't tried on your bridesmaid dress yet."
"Oh my goodness, Gwen, you just asked me an hour ago."
"...Did I?"
Gwen blinked.
Hawk, driving beside her, looked at Gwen and nodded: "Yes, you called Mary when you left this morning."
Gwen heard this and smiled: "Sorry, Mary, I forgot. You know, I just want to be fully prepared."
Mary on the other end of the phone said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, if I don't show up in front of you before 3 PM New York time, you can kill me to add some excitement to your wedding."
"Alright."
Gwen said with a bright smile, then hung up the phone, pretending nothing had happened, and continued looking at her wedding planning notes.
"Mary will be back in New York City this afternoon. Next, the flower girl."
"Didn't you promise Jean?"
Hawk smiled, patiently repeating, even though Gwen had already asked this question for the second time.
The so-called flower girl is a little girl, usually between three and eight years old, who scatters petals or carries small decorations when the bride enters.
Their daughter, Jean, after finding out, insisted on being the flower girl.
Gwen also agreed.
It was quite magical.
However... regarding the way Gwen and Wanda interact, Hawk tried his best not to get involved, letting Gwen and Wanda develop wildly.
After all, no matter how he got involved, it seemed to be more harmful than beneficial to him.
Hawk had indeed asked Gwen once.
Gwen's answer was also very interesting.
She treated Wanda as Hawk's ex-girlfriend, the kind of ex-girlfriend who wasn't married, and after they broke up, full custody of the children went to Wanda.
An ex-girlfriend, you see.
It's very normal in the West, as long as there are no lingering ties.
Gwen wasn't worried about this point.
Hawk had always made her feel at ease in this regard.
He was momentarily dazed for a few seconds when he heard Gwen's words.
But... never mind.
It's a wedding, as long as the bride is happy.
"Ring bearer?"
"I originally discussed with Peter about borrowing the Time Stone again while the Ancient One hasn't retired yet, to accelerate Ben Hawk Parker's growth, but Peter refused. It's okay though, Barton's eldest son, Cooper Barton, is five years old this year."
The ring bearer is someone who carries the wedding rings down the aisle, but they are fake, because the real wedding rings are kept by the best man.
Just like flower girls need to be little girls aged three to eight, ring bearers need to be little boys aged four to eight.
Originally, Hawk intended to reserve the best man and ring bearer roles for his good friend Peter Parker and his godson, Ben Hawk Parker.
But... that stubborn old man, even using the Time Stone to make him grow a few years older, he still refused.
Luckily, Barton, also known as Hawkeye's eldest son, Cooper Barton, was just the right age, and they knew him well. Barton had also brought his family to New York City yesterday.
Except for Natasha and Hawk, everyone else was surprised, not knowing that Hawkeye had quietly gotten married and even had three children.
Never mind.
That's not important either.
Gwen looked at Hawk, who was waving his hand, signaling to move to the next topic, blinked, and then looked down at her notebook.
"Guest list?"
"I don't have many on my side; I gave them all to Anya, and Anya has already given them to Helen."
Hawk said.
As everyone knows.
He had very few friends, so there weren't many people on his list. Anya was also clamoring to help, so he let Anya handle his portion of the guest list.
"Mom confirmed with me yesterday."
Gwen heard this, recalled the scene of confirming the final guest list with her mother yesterday, and then looked: "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue."
Hawk heard this and looked at Gwen: "New wedding dress, the ring is sapphire."
There's new, there's blue.
"Mom's wedding hairpin, borrowed bracelet from Bob's family."
Gwen added, then drew circles next to these as well.
"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" is a wedding classic, meant to bring good luck to the bride.
The old represents a connection to the past family, continuing tradition. Helen's great-grandmother's hairpin, passed down from her wedding, is still there.
The new signifies the beginning of a new life and hope for the future, which the new wedding dress embodies.
The borrowed symbolizes happiness borrowed from friends and family in happy marriages. Bob, full name Cole Bob, and the Stacy family have been good friends for many years, and the Bob couple has been married for over twenty years, living a fulfilling life with a happy marriage.
Blue simply symbolizes purity and loyal love. Not long ago, Hawk went to the Universe and got a sapphire meteorite, which he fashioned into a blue wedding ring.
With a snap.
Gwen closed the notebook in her hand and looked at Hawk.
"Last item, tonight's bachelor party."
"Thor can't wait to drink with me, so he's prepared a lot of alcohol tonight, no strippers."
Hawk met Gwen's eyes and quickly stated tonight's arrangements.
Again.
Originally, this bachelor party should have been organized by the best man, Peter Parker, but Thor had been pestering him to drink for more than just a day or two.
So... Peter and Thor had a fight.
Thor won decisively, and besides, it's better for the best man and bridesmaid to be unmarried, so Thor not only snatched the best man position but also the chief bridesmaid position.
However, Gwen was indifferent to this.
If the best man and bridesmaid paired up, it would also be a blessing for her wedding.
Therefore, Gwen's chief bridesmaid also became Jane Foster.
Gwen heard this and smiled slightly: "Jane also didn't arrange any stripper for me. She, Sharon, and Pepper prepared gifts. Tonight we'll unwrap gifts and chat."
After saying that.
Gwen put her wedding notebook back into her bag, and with a smile, looked at Hawk: "So, we're getting married, are you ready?"
Hawk looked at Gwen, smiled slightly, and reached out to hold Gwen's small hand.
"Always ready, I can't wait for time to fast-forward to tomorrow."
"Really, don't force yourself, Mr. Phoenix."
"Absolutely not forcing it. Let's get married."
"Good!"
Gwen's smile bloomed again.
"Then let's get married."
"..." (End of chapter)
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