Beetlejuice weds Pensacola couples at surprise Halloween ceremony

The “ghost with the most” helped a handful of couples tie the knot at the Escambia County Clerk’s Office on Halloween. You’re not supposed to say his name, at least not three times in a row, but “Beetlejuice” was fun and well-behaved when he performed the nuptials for couples who had scheduled weddings at the clerk’s office on October 31.

The Beetlejuice themed wedding option was a surprise to those who came to the courthouse to exchange vows, but most of the couples were excited to take part in the fun.

Logan and Callie Heard were among the first to arrive on Halloween morning, excited to marry after being engaged for two and a half years.

Both Airmen stationed at Hurlburt Field, they met on the job. Logan said he knew within a few weeks of dating Callie he was in love. Although it took her a couple months longer, she admits she was soon smitten, too.

The young couple, both from out-of-state, have an 8-month-old daughter, Oakland, and they planned the courthouse wedding to seal the deal until they can plan a bigger celebration with friends and family. They say the surprise Beetlejuice theme made their special day even happier.

“First of all, I love Halloween, and he kind of just chose the date,” Callie Heard said looking at her husband.

“Yeah, I figured she'd like it just because it was Halloween,” Logan Heard heard said with a smile. “We want Oakland, our little girl, in the wedding and she's so young she can't really participate yet, so we're going to have an actual wedding later on, but we just wanted to get married.”

“It is perfect for Halloween,” Callie Heard said.

Escambia Clerk of Court Pam Childers threw out the Beetlejuice wedding theme idea to her staff last week, after seeing all the amazing Halloween decorations they put up around the office.

They jumped on the suggestion and created most of the decorations themselves, including recreating some of the movie’s iconic scenes including the ghostly bride and groom who were conjured over the dinner table and the waiting room for the recently passed complete with the guy with the shrunken head. Even the sandworm head made an appearance.

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“We've been working on small decorations for a few weeks prior,” said Ashley Fitzgerald, with the Escambia clerk’s office, “but as far as putting all together, it probably took us about four or five hours. Thankfully, I have a really great team here. The people getting married today, they seem to really love it, so I'm always grateful when we find the people who are really into it. Their faces, they just light up and they just seem so excited. I don't think they were expecting inside of our little white walls to see like a little burst of Halloween.”

Those who weren’t up for a Beetlejuice officiated wedding also had the option of a private room with a traditional arch and simple décor. Childers said over the years they try to host specially themed weddings on holidays, including Valentine’s Day.

It’s not something they advertise, to avoid a crowd for security reasons, but the staff say it’s a way of giving back to the community and leaving folks with happier memories of the courthouse.

“For the people that come in, they're usually just by themselves,” said Childers. “They're not having a grand wedding and they're very much in love and this makes them feel special and they get some great pictures for their album, and they feel like we care, and we do care. That's why we do it for them.”

The newlywedded Heard couple brought a friend to witness and take pictures. Emma Porter and her husband are friends with the Heards, but she was the only who could make it for their small ceremony. She was delighted it was extra-special.

“I was definitely not expecting a Beetlejuice theme, but I love it,” said Porter. “I think it's perfect for them. My husband, he also works with us, and he was not able to come, unfortunately. Now I get to brag to him about it, that this happened while he was working, so I'm very happy, very excited.”

The Heards agreed that it was the perfect way to start their new life and family together and another reason they love calling Pensacola home.

“I don't want to leave,” said Logan Heard. “It's a cool little town.”

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Beetlejuice officiates newlywed nuptials at Escambia courthouse