Can you imagine tying the knot in a former jail?
Rachel and Ashley Quinn of Saint John exchanged their vows in a common room of the former Dorchester Jail on Saturday.
“We both wanted something more low-key, and it just seemed unique and spooky and right up our alley,” Rachel says.
They began planning six months prior to the big day, “I thought it was a pretty cool idea. At first, I didn’t think it was going to happen because I thought there’s no way they’re going to say yes. When they did and began planning it, it turned out really nice, ” Ashley adds.
It was a small ceremony with family and friends in a room that would have previously been used for offenders before they were released.
After Rachel and Ashley officially said ‘I do,’ they had pizza and talked before the two of them settled into the Death Row Honeymoon Suite for the night.
“We had some ghosts and lots of shackles. That may sound bad, but I’m quite literally serious. We were right next to where the last double hanging happened, too, and it was the best sleep of our lives.”
Rachel says they brought along ghost-detecting equipment, and they felt there was a presence in the cell where they were staying.
“The lights were going on and off, and it was definitely spooky, but we loved every minute of it.”
Several other family members also spent the night in jail cells at the former jail.
The wedding was a first for the former Dorchester jail as well. They’ve previously welcomed honeymooners as they spent their first night together, but the jail had never actually hosted a wedding ceremony before.
The newly married couple, Rachel and Ashley, say it was definitely a day they will never forget.
The Dorchester jail was built in 1875 and housed provincial inmates. The last double hanging there was in 1936.
It was purchased by Bill Steele in 2017 and has been operating since then as a Bed and Breakfast and tourist spot.
