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Thorpe couple wins Halloween wedding contest

Jenna Hull is getting married in just a few days.

But unlike many brides-to-be who plan for months, or even years, Hull had just over a week to find the right dress and put other last-minute touches on her Halloween wedding.

Insane? Perhaps.

And yet it’s fitting since Hull and Eric Beers will exchange vows at a former insane asylum.

The couple recently learned that they won the “’Til Death Do Us Part” contest through iHeartMedia, earning them the opportunity to tie the knot at the Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City.

“It’s just ‘crazy’ because I never win anything,” Hull said.

The venue is the perfect spot for the couple who loves everything Halloween. Opened in 1903 as the Eastern State Institution, it reportedly experiences paranormal activity and now operates as a seasonal haunted attraction.

Hull said she and Beers will say their “I do’s” on the front steps of Pennhurst.

“Then the entire wedding party guests and guests will walk through the three haunts. From there it will lead us to the reception,” said Hull, of the Jim Thorpe area.

She explained that she and Beers have been engaged for some time, but weren’t planning a wedding in the immediate future.

“We thought, ‘Whatever happens, happens. We will figure it out,’” Hull said.

Late last month, however, she received a text from Beers, asking her whether she’d consider getting married at Pennhurst on Oct. 31.

“I was like, ‘That would be cool,’” she said.

Hull began researching Pennhurst, thinking she and Beers could begin planning a wedding. She soon learned that weddings at the site are only performed as part of promotions.

“I messaged him back and asked if he heard about this on the radio,” she said.

Sure enough, Beers did.

The contest, through iHeartMedia Philadelphia’s Q102 and ALT 104.5, asked couples to share why they wished to wed at the haunted destination.

Jeff Hurley, senior vice president of programming for iHeartMedia Philadelphia, said the promotion is new this year.

“Q102 and ALT 104.5 are always looking for unforgettable ways to connect with our listeners, and it doesn’t get more unforgettable than getting married at Pennhurst Asylum on Halloween weekend,” Hurley said.

“For the adventurous couple who believes love can survive anything — even a haunted asylum — this is the wedding of a lifetime.”

Beers and Hull agreed that they would enter. She wrote about how the two began dating in 2003, then amicably split after five years. Just five years ago, they reunited and never looked back.

But as for winning the contest, Hull never thought they stood a chance.

“I never win anything. Like never,” she said.

She remembered talking to a teacher at the school where she works about Halloween plans last week. She mentioned that she had visited a haunted house, and that she had entered a contest to get married on Halloween.

“But I told him that it was 10 days before and I hadn’t heard anything,” Hull said. “And not an hour later they (the radio station) called me.”

Hull was in disbelief.

“(The radio station representative) was telling me details and I am only hearing half of what she is saying because I was like, ‘What is happening?’,” Hull laughed.

Hull was at work when she got the call and did her best to stay calm. She told Beers. She told her children and he told his.

“And so now that’s what’s happening,” she said.

About 30 to 35 of their guests will be on hand and Hull is inviting them to wear Halloween costumes or “something dark and spooky.”

“But obviously we want them to be comfortable, too,” Hull said.

Beers has his attire selected: that of an old-time undertaker.

“He will have a tall top hat and a long jacket with the tails,” she said.

Hull began dress shopping with her daughter soon after word of the win. She wasn’t looking for a traditional wedding gown.

After searching through several stores, Hull found one in Allentown. It’s a black dress with a tulle netting. She wasn’t immediately sold, but then realized she could add a different color fabric to show through the tulle.

“It will be a peekaboo orange under that,” she said.

Hull said that Halloween is her favorite holiday.

“And fall is both of our favorite time of year,” Hull said. “We both love spooky, spooky stuff.”

Coincidentally, she has a photo of her, Beers, and Beers’ three children taken almost 20 years ago — at Pennhurst.

Hurley said staff from the radio stations will be on hand for the ceremony.

“We’ll be sharing content on our social media this weekend,” he added.

Jenna Hull and Eric Beers recently learned that they won a radio contest to be wed at the Pennhurst Asylum on Halloween. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The former Pennhurst State School and Hospital, which operates as the Pennhurst Asylum Halloween venue, is shown. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Promotional material advertising the contest won by local residents Jenna Hull and Eric Beers. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOs