Romance is no longer dead in the nation’s capital, thanks to the LOVE Act. Starting Tuesday, D.C. residents will finally be able to get marriage licenses in the District for the first time since the federal government shutdown.

The Clerk of D.C. Superior Court issues marriage licenses and arranges for a justice of the peace to officiate weddings. But thanks to the shutdown, they have been furloughed and couples haven’t been able to officially get married.

On Oct. 7, the D.C. Council passed the Let Our Vows Endure (LOVE) Emergency Act, which gives Mayor Muriel Bowser the power to handle marriage licenses and authorize wedding officiants during the shutdown.

This proposed solution was included in both emergency legislation and temporary legislation (effective for 225 days), according to the D.C. Council.

This power is only for Bowser to use during the shutdown and is in effect for 90 days.

Bowser, who was given this power during the shutdown of 2019, signed the LOVE Act of 2025 bill into law on Oct. 9.