Dozens of couples get married in Fresno County on Valentine's Day

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Love is in the air this Valentine's Day in the Central Valley and people are finding plenty of ways to celebrate.

The heart-shaped dishes at Bobby Salazar's made it easy for couples to 'taco bout' love.

"We have heart-shaped tacos and the heart-shaped enchilada casserole," said Amanda Smith with the restaurant.

Smith says they've offered their heart-shaped platters for 6 years and each year it attracts regulars and new customers alike.

"Our regulars, love seeing them, love hanging out, loving hearing about different stories people come in and we like to ask 'when did you start dating?' 'When did this happen?' We've been here for 20 years. We love it, we love it," Smith explained.

Cheers, hugs, and plenty of love filled the Fresno County Courthouse throughout the day as couples tied the knot.

For some couples, a Valentine's Day wedding is a reminder of other special anniversaries.

"Today's actually our engagement anniversary. So, we figured we'd get married on our engagement day," said newlyweds Eric Velasquez and Kiara Beltran.

That engagement came two years ago, but Velasquez and Beltran have been together for 12 years.

"We've known each other since we were like 10-years-old," the couple said.

Jaime and Alexa Galvan's ceremony celebrated a love that was long in the making as well. The two met in trade school ten years ago.

"We met on campus. I met, actually, knocking on her window and asked her to come outside to play basketball," Eric recalled.

"I was like okay? Cause, my sister wasn't there at the time so, I was bored. So, then I went out," Kiara added.

They now share three kids. Their family came along to celebrate the special day.

The two couples are just some of the many choosing the holiday to celebrate their love.

"We actually have over 100," said Fresno County Clerk James Kus. "It's actually kind of a return to norm. Prior to Covid, Valentine's Day was one of our busiest days."

With marriage certificates in hand, families head home to spend time with the ones they love.

For news updates, follow Kate Nemarich on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.