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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 21334
[Offbeat]
Date Posted:
10/29/2009
12:28:21 pm EDT
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Views: 5,976
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Comments: 13
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Halloween-Themed Wedding Not Allowed At Sleepy Hollow Church
Author: Stacy A. Anderson Source: lohud.com (NY)
Title: HALLOWEEN-THEMED WEDDING NOT ALLOWED AT SLEEPY HOLLOW CHURCH
The village may be filled with ghostly spirits and Halloween cheer, but the historic church Washington Irving cited in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" has closed the door on costumes.
Elmsford couple Jim Nieves and Lisa Panensky, who planned a Halloween wedding at the Old Dutch Church on Saturday, are looking for a new venue after plans for their union unraveled over the weekend.
Nieves e-mailed a music request for the ceremony, which included traditional classics and, in the spirit of Halloween, theme music from "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters."
But the Rev. Jeff Gargano, the church's pastor, said the "fun gothic" tunes were not allowed in the historic 17th-century church.
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Community Thoughts: There are 13 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| ... | Oct 30th. at 3:20:40 am EDT
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Draken (Bronx, New York) - Email Me - Web
Since xian churches don't count as "sacred spaces," sue it and its idiot cult leader for breach of contract.
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| Preacher Needs To Lighten Up | Oct 30th. at 12:52:59 am EDT
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antares (fort scott, Kansas) - Email Me
As I read it, the couple are Christian. The problem is not with the wardrobe, it is with the music! As Christians, they SHOULD object to having their wedding in a grave yard! They have a contract, the preacher should honor it. The Chinese have a symbol for honor, it is a person standing by their word. If the person representing Christianity can not stand by his word, it explains why people are leaving that religion. They have no honor.
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| Their Churtch Their Rules | Oct 29th. at 10:42:02 pm EDT
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Ken Ra (Minneapolis, Minnesota) - Email Me
The couple want a themed wedding so go to a theater not a church. I can understand the Rev thinking that the " Ceremony " would reduce his sacred place to being just a big joke. Not Funny. I don't like Xianity but I can understand his point.
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| Whatever.... | Oct 29th. at 10:28:29 pm EDT
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nasionnaich (Stanchfield, Minnesota) - Email Me
Ok, so there was a contract what got signed around 13 months back. So what? If the folks who actually own and/or run the place where the wedding was going to be held knew all along about the "Halloween theme", then they can be sued for breach of contract. That's a mighty big "if", though, since right now it's "they said....". I would really like to see a copy of that contract.
On the other hand, when how many couples who have planned their wedding for more than a year have ended up not getting married? The church/hall/park/whatever is reserved, the caterers are lined up, the whole shootin' match -- and it all goes off without a hitch at all. Yes, that was deliberate: "Hitch", as in "marriage".
Hey, all of a sudden, it's not the pastor/judge or anyone else at fault -- it's the noodges who said all along they wanted to get married, and then backed out. The church/hall/park/etc could have been rented out to someone else instead of having to sit idle.... So how many of y'all would be wanting to pay for something you don't use at all? Keep in mind the words "breach of contract".....
Look deeper before y'all decide it "just has to be" the church what's at fault here.
--nasionnaich
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| I Believe... | Oct 29th. at 7:25:07 pm EDT
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
that if they decide to turn down such a request, they should say so at the beginning and not at the time it's due to start. While they may reserve the right to refuse such things, they don't have the right to be rude, and- if any money changed hands, then the couple do have the right to demand it back.
While the church may be in the right in their refusals, keeping people hanging to a contract only to drop them at the last minute is not right.
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| Hm... | Oct 29th. at 6:10:18 pm EDT
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Silver Faery (Hays, Kansas) - Email Me
I can honostly see both sides of this.
Yes the church has a right to say...no you are not allowed to do this, but at the same time....
the couple DID SIGN a contract with them 13 MONTHS ago!!!! It's not like the church itself had no time to understand what the couple wanted to have done.
I have a wedding I am going to this Halloween and guess what it's at the county fairgrounds....a church should be sacred, but at the same time it should honor the contract. Anyone planning a wedding no matter what the size needs more warning then a month if their place suddenly bows down...and personally I wouldn't want my wedding in a cemetary either...and I'm considered Gothic!
Silver Faery
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| Pastor Is Correct | Oct 29th. at 5:32:50 pm EDT
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Carousel Maker (Onaway, Michigan) - Email Me
While I do think contract law should be honored, in this case the correct way forward would be to take the VERY genorious offer of the graveyard option (which lets be open here, not requried by his faith) and go with that. While the church may have failed to ask the questions one would think normal for a contract, within the context that they work, twas questions not needing ask. I am a solid pagan with no christo axe to grind, but let them have their holy land just as we ask to be left alone for our own places of the goddess. To offer the compromise is showing WAY more that I would expect out of any of the 15 christian churches in the community of 1200 where I live in northern MI
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| We Should Respect All Sacred Spaces | Oct 29th. at 3:54:15 pm EDT
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Angel Fire (Claremore, Oklahoma) - Email Me
The minister is right. This house of worship should be respected and sacred. The couple should be up front with what they're doing for the wedding in the first place.
This shows exactly why mainstream religion think of pagan paths as satanic. They think that we all dress in weird costumes and defile sacred space, and slaughter animals for sacrifice.
The couple should either accept the preacher's compromise of letting the ceremony in the cemetery or take it elsewhere.
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| ... | Oct 29th. at 3:39:18 pm EDT
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Draken (Bronx, New York) - Email Me - Web
I don't recall ever dancing to the theme to "The Addams Family" at a goth club...
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| The Pastor Is An Idiot.... | Oct 29th. at 2:09:53 pm EDT
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Abaxion (Pomona, California) - Email Me
... and a close-minded fool. Let me say that I believe fully that any church has the right to set policies, allow or not allow certain themes, and to choose what weddings or ceremonies they do or do not want to perform. However, the church signed a CONTRACT with this couple 13 months ago. Therefore, they should be forced to fulfill that obligation. Too bad that the church did not ask the details of the wedding. That is the church's responsibility and they failed to ask. Had they done so, they could have said, "no, sorry, we do not want to do that kind of wedding". End of story. They did not ask. They signed the contract. If they do not honor it, then the couple should sue. (And I do not care if the church offered a refund) .
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| I Think They Should Do It In The Cemetary. | Oct 29th. at 1:43:57 pm EDT
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Meadow Sweet (Rosendale, New York) - Email Me
The old historic cemeteries around here are positively gorgeous, especially this time of year when all the leaves are in their full glory. The old tombstones are really beautiful.
In spite of the couple's accusations, I don't think the objections have anything to do with Hallowe'en being "satanic". I live maybe an hour away, and it's pretty tolerant around here. They probably just want to keep all the tourist hoopla out of their sacred space.
Come on, guys, it's their home, not a goddamn theme park.
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| ... | Oct 29th. at 1:38:35 pm EDT
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Raven (Winter Park, Florida) - Email Me
It was very accommodating of the priest, actually, to offer to officiate it in the church's graveyard; that's more than I'd expect.
If the couple wanted a Halloween wedding, they should have either been up front about their plans, or considered another venue.
My fiance and I are getting married Halloween next year. We're not having it at a church *or* a synagogue (the former because, well duh, we're not Christian! and the latter because we have reverence for FH's side of the family to not have a Halloween wedding there) , and we're being very upfront to our prospective venues as to our plans, including a costumed reception with a foggy dance floor. So far, there hasn't been an issue.
Anyway, compromise is better than nothing! It's a shame this couple wasn't upfront at first, though; now they have to scramble at the last minute, which is never fun.
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| Damn Tourists | Oct 29th. at 1:17:49 pm EDT
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Meadow Sweet (Rosendale, New York) - Email Me
Sleepy Hollow isn't "all about" Hallowe'en any more than Woodstock is "all about" hippies. These are real towns, and real people live there. The Old Dutch Church is a real church with a real congregation, it's not a themed tourist trap erected seasonally, exclusively for their silly entertainment, nor is it a public park owned by the town. It's someone else's sacred space, and that is it's first purpose, not for touristy Hallowe'en parties. They should have discussed this when they signed the contract. I think they should take up the pastor's generous offer to have the wedding in the historic graveyard, or else change their theme, and quit complaining.
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