Prodded by Cupid’s Arrow

Juan Gonzalez and Maria Cortez were married once before. In El Salvador, years ago.

But that was before she left for Los Angeles and he decided to stay behind. That separation led to divorce.

Eventually Gonzalez, 34, moved to this country and the two got back together. But for nine years they were not married.

Until Valentine’s Day.

That’s when the couple hopped into a limo and made their way to downtown Los Angeles’ Guadalupe Wedding Chapel. There, in a room drenched with flowers and family, they exchanged vows once again.

They were hardly alone.

Valentine’s Day is the busiest day of the year at Guadalupe, a brightly colored fixture on Broadway since 1971.

Nearly 150 couples, most of them Latino--all of them hoping for a till-death-do-us-part future--came to the chapel betrothed, and in an average of 25 minutes, came out married.

“We decided to make our relationship right with God and our church,” said Cortez, 37, who along with her groom took the whole event with a mixture of joy and solemnity.

Weddings were popping up all over the Los Angeles area Sunday. In perhaps the biggest matrimonial extravaganza, hundreds of couples were married simultaneously at the Long Beach Convention Center. The event was part of a celebration arranged by Spanish radio station KLVE-FM (107.5).

But at Guadalupe the moments were a bit more intimate. All day long, starting at 9 a.m., people streamed through the plate-glass entrance that is festooned with signs advertising services available: weddings, of course, but also name changes, legal aid and what couples Sunday were all certain they would never need: divorcios.

“On a typical day we might process at least a few divorces,” said Guadalupe’s co-owner, Marie Morchon. “Not on Valentine’s. That’s the day when love is in the air. That’s why I own this place, you know, to feel that special feeling around me.”

There are actually five small chapels at Guadalupe, each done up in happy colors--bright red, white, pale blue--and stuffed with roses and irises. Some look like the interior of a church, with paintings of Jesus, a statue of the Virgin Mary and 2-foot-high crucifixes. Some have no religious artifacts.

For $145, couples bought a marriage package that included optional use of a bridal gown and the choice of a gift. Most opted for the gold-plated wedding rings over a video of their ceremony.

Five clergymen from local churches performed the ceremonies.

Morchon spent the day directing traffic and encouraging nervous couples, some of whom had walked in off the street after making a snap decision Valentine’s Day morning to get married.

“It’s the perfect day to get married, so romantic,” she said.

As one couple entered a chapel, Morchon flipped on a tape of Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” She clapped and urged others to follow.

“Everyone clap for the happy couple,” she said. “Today is their day . . . smile, smile.”

Curdeline “Pansy” Joseph, who was at the chapel to marry Paul Jackson, agreed with Morchon. “It is a day for love,” she said.

Jackson, sitting in the fitting room as his soon-to-be wife tried on a series of gowns, found humor in the idea of being among a multitude of couples married Sunday.

Jackson said they were originally going to get married two weeks ago. But the Super Bowl popped up and since his favorite team was in the game, plans changed.

“Love is love” he said with a grin. “But football is football.”

He said he never thought he would get married at a wedding chapel.

“Thought I’d have a lavish affair, at some church,” he said, smiling and laughing with what he admitted was nervousness.

“But she wanted to do it,” he said. “She got me down here this morning . . . it’s all good.”