Chandler Dean and Carolina Treviño were preparing for their Manhattan courthouse wedding ceremony that was just days away when they heard the news: former President Donald Trump would be indicted on criminal charges in New York.
The couple then learned Trump's arraignment was going to be scheduled for Tuesday, April 4 — the same day of their ceremony, which they had booked about a month before.
"We kind of freaked out about that," Dean, a 27-year-old comedian and speech writer, tells TODAY.com. "But mostly, we thought it was funny and only had a small percentage of concern about safety or chaos."
Dean and Treviño's anticipation "intensified a little bit" once they found out the former president's arraignment was scheduled for 2:15 p.m. at 100 Centre Street — just an hour before their ceremony was scheduled at the City Clerk's office one block away. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
"I looked on Google Maps to see how close the two (locations) were to each other and I realized they were practically on the same spot, about a minute walk," Dean says. "It was just wild to us. But again, we took it in stride. We mostly thought it was a funny coincidence and we were determined to push on."
The couple emerged from City Hall subway station in lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon about 45 minutes ahead of their appointment, anticipating they might get slowed down by road blockages or masses of protesters. Dean says the crowds were easier to navigate than expected.
"As we were walking toward our destination, we just saw more and more throngs of people," Dean says. "But for the most part, maybe in part because there was such a balance of protesters and counter protesters, there wasn't one single identifiable mood. It just sort of averaged out to people lookie-looking at what was happening."
After gesturing toward the clerk's office, Dean and Treviño, a 28-year old product manager, made their way past police barriers to join several other couples waiting in line to exchange their vows.
"We were far from alone, and there was something really heartwarming about seeing every other couple who were in the same position that we were," Dean says. "Amid the chaos, it did feel like a really wholesome place where everybody was supportive and kind."
“Amid the chaos, it did feel like a really wholesome place where everybody was supportive and kind.”
Chandler Dean
As the couple waited outside for their three witnesses to arrive, Dean says many New Yorkers shared congratulations.
"I think it was obvious to people what was going on, especially after one of Carolina's friends brought her a bouquet," Dean says. "I think a lot of people picked up that this was not what we would wear to a protest."
Dean says once they went inside the clerk's office, things moved very quickly. Before he knew it, he and Treviño were married. "Honestly, the biggest surprise for us of the day was how great the weather was," he says.
April has been a significant month for the couple's decadelong relationship. Dean tells TODAY.com their first date was to Treviño's high school prom in April 2013. They got engaged in April 2022 at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Now that the paperwork is out of the way, the couple is preparing for a "proper" ceremony later this month in Houston, Dean says. The upcoming event played a role in the couple deciding to keep the date of their legal ceremony, despite what was happening down the street.
"We knew we wanted to do our legal ceremony here in New York, and we wanted it to have some kind of sentimental reasoning behind it," he shares. "So arbitrarily, we said, well, our other date is April 22, two plus two equals four, so I guess we'll do April 4."
He says the couple had "maybe a small twinge of doubt" about changing the date once they found out about Trump's arraignment, but ultimately decided to keep it as scheduled.
"We were more than happy to stick with the date and take it in stride, he says. "I think it added a sense of momentousness not just for us, but for everybody who was getting married on that day. Anyone who was standing around waiting to enter had a lot more people there than usual, noticing that they were getting married, and congratulating them and talking to them about it.
"There's going to be a lot more documentation of the fact that we got married today, and that's obviously something that is, I think, ultimately a positive outcome," he continues. "We'll be able to tell people for the rest of our lives the crazy story behind our legal ceremony."
The night before the ceremony, Dean debated whether to post something online about the situation. A friend convinced him to make a video for TikTok, thinking it could do well on the social media app.
"My fiancée and I picked quite a day to get married at the Manhattan courts," he captioned his post, which now has nearly 320 thousand views.
He followed up the post with another TikTok detailing their wedding day, which featured a tweet of a protester yelling at couples, Dean and Treviño included, on the steps of the City Clerk's office that was captioned, "One of the worst days in history to have a courthouse wedding."
Dean says in the TikTok he thought it was funny, but he ultimately disagreed.
"The sun was shining, friends were celebrating, and as strange as the day might have been, it was our day, and it was perfect," he says.
