In 2021, Christina Spence and her husband Ricky Scalia eloped and got married at Eastern State Penitentiary and it had to do with the fact that Spence wanted to have a simple wedding, writes Joel Millman for The Wall Street Journal. 

“My cousin got married in a castle. We wanted to have a unique stress free ceremony,” said Spence, 41, and a mother of three.

Their wedding ceremony featured just the two of them, a pastor, and a photographer.

Nonetheless, it was a great experience for the newly married couple.

“I dragged my dress past Al Capone’s cell and we laughed and danced and had a ball!” she added. 

Initially operating as a Pennsylvania maximum security penitentiary for 142 years that held the likes of Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton captive, Eastern State is now a historic site that rents its halls and domed chambers to private parties.

Couples looking for something different are choosing a stretch behind bars at former prisons for weddings, anniversaries, and Valentine’s Day dates.

Lauren Bockmeyer and Eugene Janda also held a wedding at Eastern State Penitentiary for $3,600, a small discount based on it taking place on a weekday and considering they live in the neighborhood.

Read more about why prisons are gaining popularity as wedding venues at The Wall Street Journal.

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