Morticia Addams pulled her new husband in close Friday morning and kissed him on the lips after the two exchanged vows. As she did, the severed hand perched atop Gomez’s left shoulder fell to the carpeted floor of the courthouse chapel.
The newlyweds, Christie Kovach and Derik Costa, have been together for nearly five years. But the Sandy Springs couple decided to tie the knot on Halloween.
They dressed as the heads of “The Addams Family,” and brought “Thing” along for cinematic effect.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
She found a black velvet dress online. He threw together a three-piece suit with a blood-red tie and some fancy matching loafers.
“We love Halloween. It’s one of our favorite times of the year,” Kovach said. “We just figured this would be a really fun day to do this.”
Costa, who usually rocks a big, bushy beard, shaved for their important day. But he said he left his mustache so he could be more Gomez-like.
They were among dozens of couples who celebrated the spooky holiday Friday by getting hitched in Fulton County Probate Court. One couple got married in skeleton outfits. Another couple said their vows in jack-o-lantern masks.
A third couple tied the knot in traditional Day of the Dead makeup. He wore a black top hat and carried a cane. She wore a corset over her dress and had red roses in her headband.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
“I called and they said we had to be in costume,” said Chara Lee, who lives in Union City with her husband, David. “This is so great. We always wanted to dress up, and Day of the Dead just seems so appropriate ‘cause we can still wear our wedding attire.”
Probate Judge Kenya Johnson said hosting the impromptu ceremonies is one of her favorite parts of the job, especially since she and her husband got married at a Las Vegas chapel some 21 years ago.
“It’s a great place to elope or have a low-cost wedding,” said Johnson, who wore her spooky skeleton dress for the occasion.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
The probate court’s chapel featured a floral backdrop, a fake skull with flowers, two skeletons kissing and a tombstone that read “Love you to Death.”
Johnson’s office hosts weddings each Friday. They also do Christmas and Valentine’s Day ceremonies, but this was the third year holding Halloween weddings. The newlyweds were sent off with a festive cake as frightening music played in the background.
Court supervisor Michael Moore, who officiates the weddings, said he has conducted at least 2,000 ceremonies over the past four years.
“This is a day we’re here to join families,” said Moore, who was dressed as Mr. Brown from the Tyler Perry series. ”People are excited about coming down here, getting dressed up and tying the knot."
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Paula Mason and Meray Kaur recently celebrated their first anniversary as a couple. The two live in Buckhead and work at the Nordstrom at Phipps Plaza.
They’ve been talking about marriage for months, but two weeks ago they decided to have a Halloween wedding at the courthouse, surrounded by family.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
“We’ve been together a whole year,” Kaur said. “And we were like, ‘Let’s just get married now before our rights get taken away.’ We definitely were afraid of that happening.”
Kaur said she knew she’d cry during the exchanging of vows. Luckily for her, court staff had a box of tissues handy.
Mason’s older sister, Isabel McVey, said a Halloween wedding was fitting for the couple, which she said has been “inseparable since the day they met.”
“They told us a week ago they were gonna get married, and we tease them that they’re goth all the time,” McVey said, laughing. “They like the spooky things and they have a black cat and all that, so it’s definitely on-brand. We’re thrilled for them.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
After the wedding appointments, probate court staff holds a weekly “mass ceremony” in a downstairs courtroom where scores of people get hitched simultaneously. More than 30 couples tied the knot this Halloween.
While most wore suits or traditional wedding gowns, one couple, Jonathan Morehead and his wife, Peaches, came dressed as Chucky and his bride.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
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