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Akron Muni Court brings Halloween weddings back from the dead
TRACEY BLAIR
Legal News Reporter
Published: October 22, 2021
Demons and ghouls looking for a spooktacular venue to begin the rest of their lives together are in for a treat this year.
Halloween weddings are back at the Akron Civic Theatre.
For the fifth year, Akron Municipal Court will offer Halloween-themed weddings at the theater, which has donated space for the event.
“We skipped it last year, because of the COVID virus,” Judge Ron Cable said. “We had it four years in a row prior to 2020. We're really glad that we could bring it back this year for the fifth time. It's really just a fun occasion. Most of the people who come in get dressed up. And I think it makes a nice anniversary, and it makes the date easy to remember as well.”
Judge Cable said officiating weddings is one of his favorite parts of the job.
“Anytime someone asks if I can do it, I'm always happy to,” he said. “It’s always been an interesting and fun part of my job. We used to have walk-in weddings. We still do a little bit of that, especially if there's a situation where someone in the military is being assigned to somewhere else in the country or world and they want to get married before they leave, or if there's a special circumstance, but because of the numbers with COVID we're trying to eliminate foot traffic in the building.”
The court has been trying to come up with ideas to have more off-site weddings at different times of the year, including at the Akron Art Museum, Summit County Historical Society, Hower House, Springfield Lake Gazebo and Cascade Plaza in Downtown Akron.
Although this year the plan was to concentrate on outdoor venues, the Halloween ceremonies will be indoors. However, the judge–who is fully vaccinated–said he is becoming more comfortable with indoor settings for the offsite weddings.
“Typically people aren't real happy to be in front of a judge, but for special occasions like these, it's all positive and everyone's all smiles,” he said.
The judge added that even post-pandemic, he would like to continue the outdoor weddings.
““We try to make it nice here when they come into the court,” he said. But you know, we have an old, rough building. And truthfully, when you're out at these really nice forums, I just think it's better for everybody. They're just more suitable for weddings than the courthouse environment.”
Nicole Hagy, community outreach and grants coordinator at Akron Municipal Court, said the most rewarding thing about offsite weddings for her is running into happy couples years later.
“Sometimes I’ll be at a community event, and somebody will say, ‘Oh my gosh, you guys performed our wedding,’ or, `We were married at the Civic,’ and it just makes it extra special that they remember us,” she said. “Our staff as a whole tends to get really enthusiastic about weddings - especially the Halloween weddings. Everybody comes together and helps out.”
The Halloween weddings will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thurs. Oct. 28 at the Civic Theatre, 182 S. Main St. in Akron. Costumes are welcome.
Appointments are first-come, first-served and must be scheduled and paid for before Oct. 28. Time slots will not be added once all appointments are booked.
Prior to the ceremony, couples must obtain a marriage license from Summit County Probate Court. They then must pay a cash-only ceremony fee at the Akron Municipal Court Clerk’s Office in Room 837 of the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center, located at 217 S. High St. The fee is $25 for those in the court’s jurisdiction, Akron, Fairlawn, Bath, Richfield, Springfield Township, Lakemore and the Summit County portion of Mogadore. There is a $40 fee for those residing outside the jurisdiction.
After paying the fee, couples should take their receipt to Room 901 in the Stubbs building to secure a time slot. Couples can use the Main Street entrance or the Bowery Street entrance on the day of the ceremony. No professional photographers are permitted.
For more information regarding scheduling, contact the Akron Municipal Court’s Chief Service Bailiff Patricia Williams at (330) 375-2592.