First married couple in Cook County ties the knot after 14 years

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Not only did Jose Castro and Brenda Bravo become the first couple in Cook County to get married in 2015, but after a 14-year relationship and two children, they finally tied the knot Friday morning.

The groom explained what took so long.

"It took awhile. I'm just that type of person, take my time with things," Castro said.

Castro, a hospital employee, says he made the decision on New Year's Eve to make an "honest woman" out of his longtime girlfriend after nearly 15 years of monthly encouragement from his mother.

"Six years ago I had double foot surgery and a double knee replacement last year, and she's always been there for me," said Virginia Castro, the groom's mother.

The new Mrs. Castro, who is a customer service representative, says the wait was hard.

"We've worked at it - we're now married but been in a committed relationship for 14 years and obviously it's worked," Bravo said.

The newlyweds arrived at the Daley Center at 5 a.m. Friday morning. After some paperwork, they received their marriage license as soon as the clerk's office opened at 8:30 a.m.

A judge waived the 24-hour waiting period so Clerk David Orr, continuing a tradition of his dating back to 1991, could marry the couple the same day in a ceremony in his office.

He is the only clerk in Illinois with the ability to perform marriages.

Because they're the first couple of 2015 to marry in the county, they received a free bouquet of flowers, a $100 restaurant gift certificate and a two-night stay at a downtown hotel.

Their children, 8-year-old Adriel and 14-year-old Ariel, couldn't be happier.

"All the time I tell my dad, 'When are you going to marry my mom?'" Ariel Bravo said.

And while the couple plans on a beach wedding and buying a family home in the not-so-distant future, they are not the only ones looking forward to their new life as husband and wife.

"She's my favorite cousin, she's more like a sister to me, she's the only family I have here so I had to be here," said Virginia Ortega, the bride's cousin.