A couple traveling to the Bay Area posted online this week looking for someone — literally anyone ordained — to officiate their elopement for $100. No ceremony. No frills. Just the legal minimum so they could file their marriage license at the Marin County Civic Center and get on with their lives as a married couple.

That's it. That's the ask. A hundred bucks and a signature.

And you know what? The internet delivered. Within hours, multiple people volunteered, including at least two strangers ordained by the Universal Life Church who happened to be available. As one local put it, throwing their hat into the "wedding ring": "I got ordained by the Universal Life Church and it looks like I'm allowed to conduct a ceremony in California." Another SF resident who'd previously officiated a wedding on Mt. Tam chimed in, already in Marin and ready to go.

This is the kind of story that reminds you government doesn't have to be complicated. Marriage is a contract between two people. The state's role should be minimal — file the paperwork, update the records, move on. California actually makes this relatively painless compared to other states, and Marin County keeps it straightforward.

But here's the broader point: this couple instinctively understood something the wedding-industrial complex doesn't want you to know. You don't need to spend a year's rent to make it official. You need a license, a willing officiant, and maybe a nice view of Mt. Tam if you're feeling fancy.

The fact that two complete strangers were ready to help — for a modest fee or possibly nothing at all — is a small but genuine reminder that community doesn't require a government program or a nonprofit grant. Sometimes it's just people on the internet being decent to each other.

Congratulations to the happy couple. May your marriage last longer than the average SF restaurant lease.