If you and your partner are book lovers looking to tie the knot on a budget, you have one more day to win your dream wedding.
The Arlington Public Library is hosting a contest and taking submissions from couples in the DMV, and the winner they pick will get a free wedding hosted at the Arlington Central Library location.
All the contestants need to do is submit an application at this link, answering the question "Why would you love to get married at the library?"
Entrants are encouraged to get creative. Their submission can be written, but it can also come "in visual form." The deadline to submit is Friday, Jan. 24, so time is of the essence. The contest is free to enter.
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What are the requirements to enter the contest?
Applicants must be over the age of 18 and cannot already be legally married. (No "courthouse wedding with a free library party" entrants, sorry.)
The library specifically states that it is an institution "for everyone and celebrates all forms of love," so any kind of couple is welcome.
The couple needs to live somewhere in the DMV, with preference given to those who live in Arlington. It's their local library branch, after all.
If you're wondering how far out into Maryland or Virginia you can live before it doesn't count anymore, the couple also needs to hold an Arlington Public Library card, which limits it to Arlington or one of the reciprocal jurisdictions below:
- The District of Columbia
- Virginia: City of Alexandria, City of Falls Church, Fairfax County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, Prince William County
- Maryland: Frederick County, Montgomery County, and Prince George's County
These requirements might be the biggest weed-out point: The couple has to be available on the predetermined wedding date, which is Saturday, July 12, 2025. They also need to be willing to have their ceremony open to the public, and to do interviews with the press about the wedding.
This also might not be the ideal setup for anyone with big families: The couple can invite, at most, 50 guests.
And, unfortunately for the hardcore book-loving couples (anyone who works for the Arlington Public Library), staff members aren't eligible.
Other than those hard requirements, it's a bonus if the couple loves books, romance and, of course, the library.
What does the library provide to the contest winners?
Anyone who's planned a wedding recently knows that a free venue counts for a lot! The winners will be able to have their ceremony in the Arlington Central Library from 4 to 4:30 p.m. on July 12, and a reception after from 4:30 to 7:30.
There will be food provided, thanks to the DMV's Main Event Caterers. Offerings on their website include some delicious-looking gourmet surf n' turf, along with plant-based options -- and one of their goals is to "reduce carbon emissions, animal feed and waste runoff pollutants."
Virginia-based Bakeshop will provide a 6-inch cake for the couple to cut and cupcakes for the guests. The library will also provide a cake topper and a cake knife.
The happy couple will get their own sweetheart table courtesy of event-rental company Fox and Fern Vintage Rentals in Alexandria. That company and the library together will provide any other necessary furniture, along with tables, chairs, flatware, glassware and table linens.
The Arlington Philharmonic, which is the only professional symphony orchestra in Arlington, will provide the music for the ceremony, while Arlington Parks and Rec will provide a DJ for the reception.
Four hours of photography and a photobooth station will be provided to help capture the special day. (The media coverage may add some bonus free videography and photography.)
Guest book? Check. Wedding favors? Check. Flower arrangements, bouquets, boutonnieres and other florals from Mill Creek Florals? Check. An officiant, if you don't already have one? Check -- Diane Kresh, library director, is on standby if you need her.
The library is providing all of the vendors, up to and including wedding planning and day-of coordination from Ray of Sunshine Weddings.
What doesn't the library provide?
All that's left for the lucky couple is the invitations, the wedding day attire (like the dress, tux or suit, hair and makeup), the wedding rings and the fees associated with applying for a marriage license.
Anything outside the wedding day is also left up to the happy couple. That means the rehearsal dinner, a day-after brunch, and any gifts for the wedding party are outside the library's offerings.
It's still a pretty great deal, given that the average cost of a wedding nationwide was around $35,000, according to a survey by wedding planning website The Knot. (In Virginia, the average wedding cost was even higher, at $38,000. Maryland weddings cost around $39,000 on average, while D.C. typically runs newlyweds around $42,000.)
When will the couple be chosen?
According to the library's webpage about the contest, the submissions are just the first round.
"The top three couples will be required to do a short virtual interview the week of February 3," the library said, "and the winning couple will be contacted no later than February 13." That's just in time for Valentine's Day, for anyone keeping track.
If you have other questions for the library, you can direct them to LibraryPrograms@arlingtonva.us.