By Lesley Walsh
A COUPLE is preparing to be sentenced to life when they get married at the Court House in Bangor, in a public first for the venue.
Ruth Hughes and Matthew Haycock will tie the knot where criminals once started their journey through the justice system, but they’ll walking free afterwards into a new married life together.
Now a vibrant entertainment venue which hosts art, music, theatre and public debate, the Court House will be transformed to welcome wedding guests who have been invited to come dressed for Halloween for the wedding on October 31.
The couple were introduced to the notion of hosting their nuptials at the Court House by their humanist celebrant, Mandie Ritchie, who will conduct their ceremony, and who was keen to find a venue suited to the ‘quirky’ couple.
Ruth, who is originally from Pomeroy in Co. Tyrone, now lives in Bangor with Matthew, who has lived in the city all his life. She was quickly convinced the former bank and court was the venue for them after meeting Alison Gordon, co-founder of the Court House.
“We met and spoke with Alison and just seeing her passion and love for the building, it just felt like the right place for us,” she said.
“Matthew is really into history – he has a Master’s degree in history – and he loved the venue too, and keeping the building of its age and up-to-date and in such a good condition is such a nice thing.”
Ruth chose Halloween as the date for her and Matthew’s big day as it had always ‘tickled her fancy’.
“I have always loved the idea of getting married on Halloween, ever since I was young really, and I loved the idea of having trick or treat baskets in the wedding,” she said.
“My great grandparents on my mum’s side got married at Halloween, and coming from farming stock it was probably a time that they weren’t as busy on the farm as the rest of the year, and in those days Halloween wasn’t as big an event that it is now,” she said.
In keeping with the season, guests are being invited to come in fancy dress if they wish, while Ruth’s own traditional wedding attire will be bedecked with a fittingly ghostly and ghoulish motif.
During a number of stages of the wedding ceremony, celebrant Mandie will introduce court-themed features, reflecting its early legacy – but the exact details of those elements are being kept under wraps until the big day to maintain the element of
surprise for their gathered guests. Conducting the service, Mandie said the ’quirky’ couple deserved
something novel for their big day. Keeping schtum about the finer details of the ceremony, Mandie did reveal that Ruth and Matthew will be hand-fasted – an old Celtic tradition prior to the use of rings, when the couple’s hands are bound together by ribbons or some type of cord,
signifying their commitment.
Mandie caters for all tastes in her weddings, from the traditional to those including international customs and rites, with vows which
cater for ‘whatever couples want’. Alison Gordon, Development Director at the Court House, said staff at the venue are looking forward to helping the couple celebrate their special day, with a twist.
“As a dedicated music and arts venue the Court House doesn’t generally host weddings, although two of our staff members did recently hold their wedding reception in the venue, which was a very special day for our whole team.
She said the wedding was a ’lovely way to make use of this beautiful building’, and ‘it’s the perfect way to celebrate the heritage of the building as a working ceremony taking place in the former court room’.
