Halloween is for lovers, right? Whether it’s the man of your screams, or the kind of ghoul you take home to mom, romance is not dead…even if the bride and groom may look it.
Fifteen couples across Lane County had wedding “scaremonies” Friday, at the Lane County Public Service Building. They pledged their undying (undead?) love as Lane County Clerk Tommy Gong officiated, dressed as a pirate.
“And do ye both swear, on pain of walking the plank, to speak true, to listen well, and to keep each other afloat through all tides o’fortune?” asked Gong during one of the rituals.
Most couples came in costume or in gothic attire, including Grant and Saydie England. Saydie wore bridal black with spiderweb lace.
“I made it by hand,” she said, smiling. “I decided since we were doing a Halloween wedding, that I would just make my own black dress. Fits the get-up.”
“Originally we were going to get married on Wednesday, November 5th,” said Grant England. “But when were looking into it, they were, ‘Oh we actually only do them on Fridays now.’ So we’re like, ‘Oh! Well, Halloween’s right there, why not?”
Gong became Lane County Clerk this July, and brought the Halloween “scaremonies” with him from his previous work in California.
“The staff always loved to be able to dress up, and so it gave me the opportunity, ‘Hey are we doing scaremonies here?” And everyone said “What’s that all about? I go, “Oh! We’re going to do that!”
The scaremonies were brief but colorful affairs, done before a backdrop of a pirate’s galleon at night with full moon. Friends and relatives also came, including one dressed as a dark angel and another as Napoleon Dynamite.
Another couple, Jacob and Kaitliln Robb, told KLCC that this was actually their six year anniversary, but they wanted to get “remarried” as part of the county’s holiday festivities.
Gong says he and other county staff may do similar holiday events around Valentine’s Day and others.
All available slots for “scaremonies” were filled, indicating many local couples enjoy celebrating Halloween as much as their love.
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