South Bend couple marries in Halloween-themed wedding at Niles Scream Park

Danielle (Corbett) Lacopo has loved making memories at Niles Scream Park since she was a kid, but her latest visit to the park was extra special.

On Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, Danielle and her now-husband, Tony Lacopo, got married on the grounds of the popular haunted attraction, which they've visited together every Halloween season for the past three years.

"We wanted to do a Halloween wedding because we thought it would be really cool just because a lot of people don't usually do that and kind of get away from the traditional aspects," Danielle said. "We both also really like Halloween, and then I've been going to Niles since I was a little kid. Tony has been going since we've been together."

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Danielle said she thought it would be easier to hold a Halloween-themed wedding at a haunted attraction rather than figuring out all of the decorations for herself, so she reached out to Niles Scream Park manager Aaron Smith in April to begin planning her special day.

Smith said that although the park rarely hosts weddings, the Lacopos' wasn't the first to take place on the grounds.

"This is probably one of the most quote-unquote 'formal' weddings that we've had," Smith said. "Some people just come in, and it's just the two of them. They might have a vow renewal or just a quick wedding. To actually have a more traditional-style wedding party made it really wholesome."

Despite walking down the aisle, having bridesmaids and groomsmen, and exchanging vows in the presence of 80 friends and family members, Tony and Danielle included plenty of nontraditional, festive touches in their wedding as well.

"What made it more unique is that I wore a black dress," Danielle said. "My bridesmaids were witches, so they had witch makeup and witch attire and all that, and then his groomsmen did skeleton contour makeup. They still had tuxes, though."

Danielle said, initially, she faced some backlash from friends and family when she announced her unique wedding theme, but eventually, everyone ended up liking her spooky touches.

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"I don't think they thought it was going to be tasteful. I think they just thought it was going to be costumes," Danielle said. "But we still had elements of a traditional wedding … It was just kind of like a dark aesthetic."

The couple got married on the park's midway near the Field of Screams around 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the park opened to the public.

"Honestly, I loved every minute of it, even getting ready and everything," Danielle said. "It was just super fun to see everybody experience such a unique thing. … Even the makeup artists were like, 'I'm so excited to do this,' because it's so out of everyone's element and nothing they're gonna get to do again, most likely."

Though the couple did not hold a formal wedding reception, many guests stayed after the ceremony to enjoy the park's many Halloween attractions. Danielle said the park paid for her and Tony's admission, and the couple spent about three hours taking photos around the park with Photography by Hanah, LLC.

Smith said Niles Scream Park is "pretty easygoing" when it comes to hosting weddings and only requires that couples have their wedding during the park's normal operating hours so staff can monitor the ceremony.

He said the park is "not necessarily selective" when it comes to allowing people to get married there, "but we're not necessarily saying we're open to be a wedding venue. We don't want to have a whole bunch of them in any given year."

But for those who do get married at the park, Smith said, he doesn't charge them for using the venue.

"We don't charge those that want to come and do it because they're celebrating Halloween just as much as we are by making it memorable and having a memorable moment like that at the park," he said. "We're not about making money … We want them to cherish the memory as much as we do with hosting them here."

Smith said the park helped the Lacopos use its sound system for the ceremony and temporarily transformed one of its buildings into a place for the bridal party to get ready.

"We're honored that they thought of us," Smith said. "I mean, we're all about tradition at the park. … We're on our second, third generation of workers out here, so it was great to expand that tradition to something more formal, something as special as a wedding, to facilitate and help cherish (Danielle's) childhood memory of coming here every year into the next step of her life."

Email Tribune staff writer Claire Reid at cereid@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Niles Scream Park gives South Bend couple's weeding a Halloween theme