We wrote last year about New York City's plan to spruce up its marriage bureau in an effort to attract more matrimony-minded couples (and more matri-money, too). NYC is currently second to Las Vegas in the number of marriage licenses it issues, and the Big Apple wants a bigger piece of the pie.
The $12 million renovation, which opens next week, replaces the old marriage bureau -- a cramped, 70's-era warren of bland, unsightly offices -- with a soft-lit marble showplace with expansive dressing rooms for brides-to-be.
And there's a city-run store, too, according to the New York Times :
Forget the wedding band? No problem. The new bureau offers an elastic faux-diamond band for $9. No flowers? They are available as well -- $4 to $7 for a single stem and $25 to $50 for a bridal bouquet. There is also hairspray ($4), disposable digital cameras ($16.25) and tissues, at $1.75 a pack, for the weepy types.
The Times also has a video tour of the new space.
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach has written about a range of topics, including social policy issues and urban planning and design. Originally from Tennessee, he joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
E-mail: zpatton@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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