At its most romantic, it's the day love takes flight. At its most practical, Valentine's Day is ideal to get married because, well, men are less likely to forget their anniversaries.

        Not surprisingly, Tristate marriage license bureaus report the day typically brings an increase in marriages and applications.

        And stories.

        “A couple just came in this morning, they have a baby and it was the baby's birthday today, and they decided to get married Thursday,” said Donna Furbee, supervisor of the Hamilton County marriage license office. “A lot of people are zooming in on Valentine's Day. I'm surprised that it's falling in the middle of the week, and it's still a favorite.”

        Why?

        “I guess it's that it's love day, and we're going to share our love forever,” said Caprice Collins of Pleasant Ridge, who will marry her fiance, Ahmed Abdul Samde, today before a Hamilton County judge. “So it seemed right. Plus, it's easier to remember.”

        In Hamilton County between 1998 and 2001, there were 22,859 marriage applications, an average of 15.6 per day, according to department records. The average for Valentine's Day, or the Friday before when it falls on a weekend, was 23.

        Nurse Dawn Richardson, 34, is marrying Karim Rhouma, a doctor, on Valentine's Day before the mayor of her town, Springfield in Clark County.

        “I have some bad memories of Valentine's Day,” she said, “and a friend said, "Turn a bad thing into a good thing.' And I thought, that's a great idea.”

        Ms. Collins, 33, and her fiance, who turns 31 on Sunday, will be joined in matrimony by Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge David Stockdale, who conducts weddings throughout the year.

        But on Valentine's Day, he breaks out the red judicial robe.

        “It's a lot more fun than my average day,” Judge Stockdale said. “It's a nice thing. It's one of the few days in court where everybody can go away happy. ... And certainly it's a way to cut down on flower expenses.”

        Deputy clerk Laura Moon, a 17-year veteran of the Butler County marriage license department, agrees. Kind of.

        “Sometimes they don't wanna get married on Valentine's Day, they think they have to get two gifts,” she said, laughing heartily. “I say, just one nice one. A diamond or a car.”

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