Few people have fallen so much in love with Halloween as north-east couple Lorna and Richard Sangster
As aficionados of all things kooky, spooky and ooky, the Tarves-based duo even organised their marriage ceremony as a “Hallowedding” in 2018; a unique occasion which featured a full-sized skeleton, skulls, scary cakes, creepy-crawlies, ghouls and a string of other things that go bump in the night.
Six years later, they are clearly still besotted with each other and their fascination with the mysterious and the macabre is as strong as ever.
Some people might wonder why Halloween should exert such a pull on two otherwise down-to-earth adults, but then again, what’s so different about cosplaying as a zombie or vampire from dressing up as a wise man, Santa Claus or an elf at Christmas?
‘We always knew we’d get married at Halloween’
Lorna said: “We’ve always been a bit different, both as individuals and as a couple. I love Halloween and have gone all out to dress up and decorate since a very young age.
“Even before we got engaged, we always said that when we got married it would have to be at Halloween.
“And it was just like having an awesome big party with our closest friends, who already know that we are committed to each other.
“I was working to a really tight budget with spreadsheets galore, because we were paying for this ourselves.
“I made the three-tier cake and moulded little toppers for it.”
For the couple, Halloween isn’t just for October – they share their love of all things scary year-round.
Giving a skinful a new meaning
“We saw a full-sized skeleton online and the thought of our friends propping up the bar with it seemed appropriate, so we got that for the big day as well.
“Everybody really enjoyed themselves and Halloween was an important part of that.”
Back in 2018, Richard revealed that they had been together for 12 years, engaged for five of them and the hotel had been booked for two years.
So there was never any danger of this striking ceremony turning into an own ghoul.
‘It makes us both very happy’
He said: “Lorna organised it and kept me on track with things I needed to do. Yes, Halloween is great, but my love of the holiday has grown a lot since dating Lorna.
“She really pulled me out of my shell and now I feel comfortable dressing up.
“I am really very proud of her. And if makes her happy, it makes me happy.”
The next few days offer a pumpkin-packed schedule for the Sangsters, but even as they look forward to parties and entertaining friends, they will continue being inventive.
A flower girl dressed as Darth Vader
Richard sid: “We have such great memories of the Hallowedding.
“It was such a fun day to spend with our family and friends who all got involved with the dressing up and the relaxed vibe we were going for.
“One of our favourite memories was seeing one of the flower girls dressed as Darth Vader and all the other costumes and outfits that people came in, from skeletons to witches and Frankenstein’s monster and other types of goblins and ghouls.
“We both love Halloween season, but I really got into the fun of it when I started dating Lorna. We reckon that we love it because, to us, it has always been a time for fun, laughs and family and friends.
“It’s a time to let yourself be silly, dress up and play and it reminds us both of happy childhood memories. Basically, it’s a good excuse to be a big kid.”
The couple don’t rely on supermarkets to satisfy their demands, even though the major stores have started resembling their American counterparts in recent times.
Instead, there’s a big element of making their own entertainment, using their vivid imaginations and putting a horror twist on ordinary things.
‘We still have Fred the skeleton’
Richard said: “This year, we have got a few different parties to go to and will be taking our nephew to a pumpkin/neep patch.
“And, as always, we will be decorating the house and be waiting dressed up in readiness for the local trick or treaters.
“To be honest, we only need to put up a few bits and pieces because our living room is quite ‘Halloweenee’ all year round.
“We still have most of the decorations from our wedding, so they will be out and that includes Fred the skeleton and the giant skulls.”
It won’t be long now until the Sangsters are in their element again, both entering the twilight zone and putting the Hallo into Halloween.
So what’s wrong with a little Monster Mash-up as October 31 beckons?
Conversation