Valentine’s Day Group Wedding in Sweetheart City delivers Big Feels, in Bulk!

The annual Loveland Valentine’s Day Group Wedding brings joy to dozens of happy couples. Officiated by Country Radio Hall of Famer (and big softie), Todd Harding. 

 

 

This Valentine’s Day, dozens of couples will say “I do” as part of the fifth annual Loveland, Colorado, group wedding celebration. The one-of-a-kind event will be officiated by beloved local and Country Radio Hall of Famer, Todd Harding. 

 

Set against the joyful background of the iconic LOVE lock sculpture outside Loveland’s Visitors Center, this year’s February 14th Loveland Annual Valentine’s Day Group Wedding and Vow Renewal ceremony promises to be a uniquely romantic event. 

 

In addition to getting hitched in style, couples will receive keepsake photos, a decorative lock to “lock their love” on the famous sculpture, gift bags, signature wedding cupcakes, and the opportunity to win a romantic gift basket. 

 

The group wedding caps off a weeks-long annual celebration of love and community that’s made Loveland a favorite destination for amorous couples.

Couples embrace during a sunny outdoor group ceremony. 

Photo via ValentinesDayinLoveland.com

 

The month of February is known as ‘Valentine’s Season’ in Loveland, and the quirky destination certainly earns its title as America’s Sweetheart City. 

 

Couples arriving in town early for a little pre-wedding celebration will find Loveland’s streets and parks decked out in big red hearts, colorful light installations, and even handwritten valentines posted along street poles by the city’s Rotary Club, giving admirers the chance to publicly (and adorably) declare their affections. 

 

Adventurous nearly-weds can wander down the Tunnel of Love, try a ‘love potion’ at a local brewhouse, or race to the altar in the yearly 4-mile Sweetheart Classic. 

 

And Loveland’s wildly popular Valentine Remailing Program stamps an average of 120,000 lover’s letters before sending them out to destinations worldwide. We can’t think of a better way to announce a spontaneous elopement in the city of love than a Loveland stamped valentine!

Want to get married in Loveland? Head here.

 

 

Ceremony Close-up : Officiant Todd Harding 

 

Sweetheart City’s appeal is undeniable, and officiant Todd Harding a big part of that. 

 

 

Officiant Todd Harding --

Loveland's own Valentine's Day Cupid.

 

 

In the past 5 years, radio-host-turned-wedding-officiant Todd Harding has married over 300 couples on Valentine's Day, which averages to nearly 60 couples a ceremony, traveling from all around the country. 

 

The best part? Loveland’s wedding is more than just good marketing – it’s the real deal. 

 

“We do it right,” officiant Todd tells AMM, describing the warmth and excitement their event creates. 

 

“We do an official ceremony, and we take it seriously. And everyone who comes takes it seriously. Even the people who are renewing their vows,” he says. Everyone present can sense there’s something special taking place. 

Related: Group Weddings Might Be the Biggest Trend in 2022

Officiant Todd marries happy couples during a previous group wedding.

Check out those Valentine's Day colors! 

We love a red wedding dress. <3 

 

The ceremony is so moving that Todd keeps tissues close by, in case he or his couples start to cry. It was a precaution he learned early on, after being moved to tears while performing a wedding.

 

“I’m an old softie. I get really emotional about things,” he says. “I’m really sincere about it. It’s for real, it’s a real wedding.” 

 

From the joyful photos of past ceremonies, it’s clear that Loveland’s Valentine’s Day couples feel exactly the same way.

Todd's heart-themed cloth mask, worn while signing marriage certificates at last year's Covid-safe ceremony was the sign of the times. 

 

Todd hadn’t officiated a wedding before the first group ceremony. But when he was approached by Christine Forster, the creative mind behind the yearly event, he was immediately interested. Christine owns My Big Day Marketing & Events, and partnered with The City of Loveland after several years of engaged couples asking about Valentine’s Day elopements. 

 

“I come from a long line of love,” Todd told her, and that certainly rings true. Harding’s grandparents were married 60 years. His parents have been married for 60 years. And he and his wife Jenny have been married 27 years (and are still going strong). 

 

 

“I just believe in marriage,” he told AMM, “and I believe in love.”

Todd and his wife Jenny pose under a heart light in Loveland's sculpture park.

 

Coloradoans will recognize Todd’s name from his decades hosting The Good Morning Guys radio show (on K99 KUAD Radio out of Windsor/Fort Collins), with fellow hosts Brian Gary and later, Susan Moore. 

 

He was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2017, along with co-host Gary, after 31 impressive years in the radio business. 

 

Todd was ordained with American Marriage Ministries in 2018, and has been hooked on officiating since. He now offers private wedding services, too. 

 

When we asked him what his favorite part of officiating is, he said that it's being an important part of a couple’s lives:

 

“ I love that I got to be there for one of the biggest moments in their lives.” 

 

 

We can’t wait to see photos from this year’s lucky Loveland couples!

 

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Take a tour of Loveland, Colorado’s Valentine’s Day festivities. 
 

 

The Loveland Sweetheart Festival, lights and arts installations, Love Lock sculptures, and more.

Video via VisitLovelandCo.org

 

 

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Get ordained! 
How to Become a Wedding Officiant in Colorado

 

Friends and family members can officiate wedding ceremonies in Colorado: Become an ordained minister with AMM's free online ordination -- it only takes a minute to complete.

 

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