On Valentine’s Day 2026, love filled the halls of 1 Hour Marriage on Chapel Ave in Alhambra as 30 couples chose February 14 to say “I do.” From 10AM to 6PM, the small, family-run business transformed into a steady stream of couples signing certificates, exchanging vows, and celebrating with their close friends and family. The holiday brought a significant surge of ceremonies, with the entire Young family working side by side to guide couples through one of the most meaningful moments of their lives.
On the second story of 205 S Chapel Ave, Will and Linda Young run 1 Hour Marriage with their family: Yenmin, Candice, Goldie, and Riya. Linda started her work in 1990, initially offering immigration services to students requiring a visa change from tourist status to student. Due to California authorizing notaries to issue licenses, Linda switched her business to focus on weddings. They moved from Garfield to Main St, then landed 15 years ago at a location that’s name perfectly fit the business: Chapel Ave. Their business is self-explanatory, offering full-service, low-cost, and fast wedding packages including notary work and a ceremony.
“We realized that there were a lot of new immigrants who don’t belong to a church or have a religion in America, and they need this kind of service,” shared Linda. “We offer in-language support for Mandarin and Spanish, and it can be especially helpful for people who have a hard time crossing the language barrier when getting help at the county.”
“I get to see so many happy faces coming in and out, and it brings us so much joy. We get to hear so many different stories; it’s all very touching,” shared Will. Linda resonated the sentiment: “We see people and get to hear how they fell in love; there’s really nothing like it anywhere else. We get to witness so many special moments that are all about their closest relationships, with lots of supportive families and friends coming to our office with them.”
1 Hour Marriage’s services also extend past the immediate in-building marriages that Valentine’s Day was full of. “We do some last-wish marriages as well,” shared Will. “We’ll go to hospitals to meet elderly couples and can drive to restaurants, beaches, do weddings on yachts, and more. We get people from all over the world coming to us for help, from Australia, Russia, Italy, Nigeria, Ukraine, and more, although most couples are from LA County.”
Throughout their history of marriages (including Aubrey Plaza, Rita Ora & Taika Watiti, and a prank wedding skit on Nathan for You), the Youngs have remained committed to serving their community and reducing the financial and social burden that weddings can cause.
Will and Linda shared that in just the last 10 years, they estimated that they’ve married over 8,000 couples, while still assisting with immigration and green cards. To see what they are up to recently or schedule your wedding, you can visit them on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or their website: 1hourmarriage.com.
