Sixteen couples tied the knot Halloween morning at the Historic Osceola County Courthouse in a “Til Death Do Us Part Wedding Scare-amony.” The officiant, Osceola County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Kelvin Soto, Esq., presided over the ceremony in a Slytherin robe, adding a touch of Hogwarts mischief to the morning.
Now in its fourth year, the event merges all the trappings of Halloween with the traditions of a wedding. Guests walked into a haunting soundtrack — think “Thriller,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Somebody’s Watching Me” — and sat among cobweb-strewn pews and black roses. Some couples wore traditional attire while others dressed for the holiday, with witches and Chucky thrown in the mix. And reception tables were topped with everything from cupcakes to candy corn.
Soto said his office hosts events like this to help create a bridge between his office and the public, interacting with the community in a way that creates connection and builds trust. “It will reflect how people will feel about their jury summons or about their court case. I hope they see a little bit more of a relaxed nature from what we normally do, which is very, very serious. We want to remind people that they have a comptroller’s office and a clerk of court that is here to really serve the whole community in every way we can. We want them to know that the people who are doing it are just their neighbors, people just like them.”
Saying I do during the “Til Death Do Us Part Wedding Scare-amony” were Jonathan Andrew Martinez and Liz Maren Ortiz; Brianna Marie Barbiero and Jamie Dawn Ingoglia; Christopher Patrick Maul and Julie Marie Ayala-Morales; Angela Noel Mckinley Barry and Christopher Michael Earle; Joel Yamil Flores Bretana and Maria Virgen De Leon; Teresa Andrea Rochelle Bryant and Martin Davila Marrero Jr.; Ashley Nicole Sacchitella and Jessie Ortiz; Fabiano Borges De Oliveira and Uli Taiana Da Silva De Avanco; Henry Irl Myers and Shaquisha Elizabeth Brown; Krystyn Laurel Wikoff and Jonathan Dale Kessluk; Sinead Jessie Marie Ivey and Alex Wilson Gurzone; Miriam Daritza Martinez and Ismael Blanco; Silvia Carolina Raga Vargas and Hainett Del Rocio Jimenez Belisario; Franco Daniel Navas-Tello and Leidy Johana Lara Arango; Willy Suazo and Maria Alejandra Escola Villalobos; Aniel Ramkissoon and Raheeda Mohammed.
“I love Halloween,” said Shaquisha Brown. “We’ve been planning to get married for a while, and this just worked out. The kids love Halloween, too, and they’re here.” Her new husband, Henry Myers, added, “Financially, it was a good idea. It just all worked out.”
Other couples agreed, adding that the group ceremony concept intrigued them. “At first, I was like, ‘That’s kind of weird,’ but I think everyone dressed up makes it cool,” one bride-to-be said.
The couples were both excited and nervous, much like at any wedding, and many of them had plans after the reception – from going on a cruise and hanging out at Cocoa Beach to going to Andretti Thrill Park with friends and having an evening costume party. Wherever their Halloween adventures took them next, this one will remain in their memories “til death do they part.” And that, according to Soto, is the whole point: “All of our staff want this to be memorable in the best possible way.”
Soto’s office offers themed group weddings on Halloween and Valentine’s Day, and a patriotic ceremony in July. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3Je4C5t. To learn more about the Osceola Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller, visit https://bit.ly/3LgdwQu
