Couple Goes Full Crustacean for Their Halloween Wedding

It was not Randy Chavez and Cassandra Carino’s first choice to be married in lobster costumes on Halloween, but when a unique opportunity arose, they jumped on the idea. 

The Salem, Oregon, couple initially planned to travel out of state so their dog Lilo could be the official witness to their nuptials. There are 29 states in the U.S. that allow this, but Oregon is not one of them, requiring two human witnesses to be present.

“Our original plan was to go to Idaho or one of the other states where you can have your dog as a witness,” Chavez, 25, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “They put a little ink on their paw so you can have your dog’s pawprint on your marriage license.”

When he learned about the Halloween weddings being offered at the Marion County Courthouse in Salem, he was sold. And their Corgi/Australian Shepherd mix was welcome to be part of the wedding party if not an official witness.

"We're like, courthouse wedding? Halloween? Let's do it," Chavez says. "It was just kind of in the moment, and she's such a great partner. She just goes with my silly ideas."

Since becoming Justice of the Peace for the Marion County Justice Court in 2021, Justin Kidd, 43, has made it a priority to make the courthouse a welcoming place for couples to get married the way they want.

“Marriages are the best part of my job. When people come to court, sometimes it's the worst day of their life,” Kidd says. “So I really enjoy these days when I can make the courthouse a place of fun.”

He and his husband had to wait for years before they were able to get married in 2014 after Oregon's ban on gay marriage was overturned.

“The courthouse door was barred to us for a long time,” Kidd says. “So when I became a judge two years ago, I made it my life’s mission to spread joy, spread love and have the court and the state respect the dignity of every marriage.”

While he primarily hears small claims, evictions and violations, Kidd simultaneously officiates at more than 100 marriages a year. He has held special marriage days on Valentine’s Day, Friday the 13th and Halloween. He also offers Spanish-language ceremonies.

Kidd has a full day of marrying 11 couples on Halloween, beginning early in the morning. The spots filled up quickly, leaving eight other couples who had to have their date shifted to Friday the 13th.

Chavez and Carino are happy to be one of the lucky couples getting married on Halloween day. They have been together since late 2018.

The two were living in Bakersfield, California when they struck up a conversation on Tinder. After meeting, they quickly discovered they were both “oddballs," says Chavez. “We’re just non-traditional people trying to make our own traditions,” he adds.

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Chavez says he tried to get Corino to go out with him several times, but three times she backed out. He was not to be deterred, however. “I just couldn’t put my phone down when messaging her. It lit up my day,” he says. “I knew I had to meet her in person to see if that spark was true and sure enough, it was.”

On the surface, Chavez says it may seem like they don’t have much in common. He loves music, but she’s “not that huge into it.” He also loves trying different foods, while she can be “picky.”

“But the core values of who we are, connect very well,” Chavez says. “Just wanting to help out others any way we can and spread positivity and love, realizing we are only going to be on this earth for so long, so why not make every second of it great?"

Carino, 26, notes she was "the awkward kid who grew up with a ‘90s mom because she was a high school mom." He says he was always taking goofy pictures when he was a kid and just being himself.

"I’m comfortable in my own [skin] and never really cared what anyone thought of me," Chavez explains. "Just doing what [makes] me happy all the time."

So what is it about lobsters that made them want to make it a big part of the wedding? "Well, I’m obsessed with Friends, and I literally replay it all the time," Carino mentions. "It represents a big part of my childhood."

But more than that, the couple says that they go back to the episode where Phoebe was telling Ross that Rachel “is your lobster." That idea of lobster soulmates rings true for the couple, they say. The two are soulmates who enjoy a good adventure and doing things others might never consider.

“We did it because we are expecting a baby in January, and while we did want to get married (where) they allow our dog to be a witness, due to the short notice we decided to do it spontaneously,” Carino says. “It’s not traditional to get married on Oct. 31, and it will be a fun story to tell our kids.”

And besides, Carino says, “It’s a perfect holiday to be your true self.”

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