Vampires’ tie the knot in Columbia Township

Subject: Vampires’ tie the knot in Columbia Township Sat Oct 10, 2009 11:59 pm

Vampires’ tie the knot in Columbia Township

Dracula got married Saturday evening.

Jack Holsinger, 61, of Lorain, married his vampiress, Connie Spitznagel, 44, also of Lorain, in a Halloween-themed wedding at the Rockin’-R-Ranch.

It was Spitznagel’s first wedding and Holsinger’s second marriage. His son, also named Jack Holsinger, was the best man, dressed as Jack Sparrow.

The idea was the brainchild of ranch manager Derek Vitas. Spitznagel loved the idea.

“It’s mysterious,” she said. “It’s different. It’s spooky. Halloween gives people a chance to be something different.”

Different, in this instance, meant a lot of fun for the 60 or so friends, family and miscellaneous Ranch guests who watched the wedding unfold.

Holsinger arrived at the “altar” in a coffin via a hearse. His coffin was carried by six costumed pallbearers to the altar, where Spitznagel, dressed as a lady vampire, met him in front of a minister dressed as Jason from the “Friday the 13th” horror movies.

Spitznagel’s maid-of-honor, her 37-year-old sister, Kim Spitznagel, was dressed as the Bride of Frankstein and said she loved the idea of a Halloween wedding.

“I thought it was kind of crazy, but neat,” she said.

The blood-sucking couple met while camping at the American Wilderness Campground, which is owned by the same people who own the ranch. Guests there for the ranch’s haunted house and haunted hay rides were invited to watch the wedding.

Holsinger said the Halloween wedding was fine with him if it made his bride happy.

“This is her first wedding,” he said. “She had a common-law marriage the first time around, so she never really got a wedding. It’s what she wanted and it’s about her. It’s her time. Whatever she wanted.”

Minister Greg Kopp got into the spirit of things as well. The couple vowed to love each other, haunt with each other and howl at the moon together till the end of time.

They promised to forsake all other ghouls and goblins and grow in love and “other body parts” until - you guessed - death parts them.

Instead of a first kiss, Holsinger was ordered to bite his new bride on the neck.

The first introduction of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Holsinger was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers from the crowd.

After the wedding, they went through the haunted house together before heading to the campground where they had a reception.

“I think it’s great,” said friend Renate Maynard. “I think it’s fantastic.”

Aww, click the link for a picture of the undead couple.