Historic Prison Site in Fairmount Now Available For Weddings
By John McDevitt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Looking for a unique venue for your wedding? How about the ruins of Eastern State Penitentiary, the former prison in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia?
For the first time, the historic site is offering wedding packages to the public.
"It's seems a little bit strange, but people really like this building," says Brett Bertolino, director of operations at Eastern State. He says members of the public have been asking for years to get hitched inside the old prison but the logistics were too difficult to arrange.
"We felt it was really time to try and create a program, to come up with packages, make it really easy for people who really want to have that special event here at the prison," Bertolino explains.
"We have different packages and different programs. We have a space that you can have a smaller wedding in a historic cell block. If you really want to have a bigger wedding, we have a big tent in our courtyard and you can have your wedding -- your ceremony, your reception -- right here inside a 180-year-old abandoned prison."
Bertolino says so far one wedding has been booked for next year. He says there is still time to book a Halloween wedding this year, which could be tied into the prison's "Terror Behind The Walls" haunted house attraction if you wish.
"And we have packages if you just want to have your wedding without the haunted house," he adds.
For more information go to easternstate.org.
