“A first in my court,” noted Justice of the Peace Karen Orzech.
Orzech had just performed the 1,000th marriage ceremony of her eight-year, two-month term late Thursday at the Missoula County Courthouse.
He's 69 and a retired railroader. She's 58 and works at an assisted care center and hospital. They've been together exactly 19 years.
“So when we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we'll celebrate our first wedding anniversary,” Avens said.
They first heard of the Orzech's milestone “when she walked out here (in the hall) and said come on in, you're the 1,000th ones,” Widman said afterward with a chuckle.
Once in the courtroom, Orzech retired to her chambers and emerged with three festive balloons for the lucky couple.
“The first thing is you get your $15 back,” Orzech told them, handing Les her wedding fee.
The couple needed a bit of coaching during the five-minute ceremony.
“Look at her, not me, Les,” the judge said as she launched into the vows.
Sharon jumped the gun with her first “I do” but recovered quickly.
Orzech pronounced them husband and wife, told Les he could kiss the bride, and Les said thank you.
That was when Lance Collister, Orzech's husband of 10 years, shot off the dimepack-sized poppers, firing colorful streamers across the courtroom.
Orzech shares the bulk of civil weddings in Missoula County with fellow Justice of the Peace John Odlin.
Her 1,000 weddings have provided many thousands of memories.
There was the one up the Rattlesnake when the ringbearer was, well, a rattlesnake - live and writhing with the wedding bands around its rattles.
There was the time the groom roared up the backyard aisle on a Harley and right past his groomsmen, who sat waiting on their own hogs.
One father of a bride worked for a delivery company. His truck pulled up to the outdoor wedding in Clinton, the back door opened, and out stepped his daughter in full bridal regalia.
“Every story is different. Every wedding is different,” Orzech said. “If people request me and I'm in town, I'll do a wedding for them. That's just the way it is, because it's such a great part of being a judge.
“It really balances a lot of the negative stuff I encounter on a daily basis.”
Widman and Avens were the first of two couples wed by Orzech on Thursday. Waiting alongside them were Matthew Taylor, 29, and Melissa Blankensop, 36, who turned out to be Orzech's couple No. 1,001.
After he and his bride signed their certificate, Les dug into his wallet for the $15 Orzech had returned.
“Give it to the kids,” he said, handing it to the judge.
“And the balloons, too,” Sharon said.
Their honeymoon plans: Drive home.
It's a mere 565 miles away in Glendive, where both were born, raised and still live.
“We're just kind of making a little winter vacation out of this. We took three days getting here,” said Les, whose longtime fishing buddy, Dick Chrest, moved to Missoula from Glendive 35 years ago.
Chrest and his wife, Kathryn, were witnesses on Thursday.
“We talked about this at fishing camp for, what's it been, five years, Dick?” Les said. “I said, ‘I might even come to Missoula and get married,' and we decided that was a good thing to do.”
Little did they know balloons and streamers awaited them.
“This was all a surprise, a pleasant surprise,” said Les. “It was nice doing something different, and special.”
They planned to celebrate with dinner at Curley's Broiler with the Chrests.
“We're going to grow old together now,” said Sharon.
“We would anyway,” Widman laughed as the newlyweds headed down the courtroom stairs.
Reporter Kim Briggeman can be reached at 523-5266 or at kbriggeman@missoulian.com
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