A marriage made in "Hell"
October 2002
A marriage made in "Hell," from Russia with love.
Kansas City -- Looking for the perfect location to plan your nuptials? Some couples seek out a little slice of heaven. Others are interested in some place a bit warmer."The Edge of Hell haunted house is the perfect atmosphere for the type of celebration we have planned," say Melinda Farris and Bart Redford. For Immediate Release
October 2002
Contact: Amber Arnett-Bequeaith
A marriage made in "Hell," from Russia with love.
Kansas City -- Looking for the perfect location to plan your nuptials? Some couples seek out a little slice of heaven. Others are interested in some place a bit warmer."The Edge of Hell haunted house is the perfect atmosphere for the type of celebration we have planned," say Melinda Farris and Bart Redford.
Why do couples like Melinda and Bart choose to wed at a haunted house? "Halloween has always been a favorite holiday for each of us, so we decided to plan our wedding on or around Halloween," says Melinda.
When Melinda attended Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas for her undergraduate degree in mass communications, she also wrote reviews for the newspaper. It gave her an opportunity to visit many local haunted houses, including The Edge of Hell. She was enamored with the entry way in particular, the architecture and design of the haunted house, including the antique decor. Then she surfed the web looking at different wedding sites to get ideas. The Edge of Hell was one of the places recommended as a possible wedding site.
Neither of their mothers were particularly pleased with the choice initially, but Melinda and Bart were hell bent on doing it their way. Once their mothers saw pictures of the haunted house, they, too, turned to the dark side. "Our wedding will be on November 2, 2002 at 5:30 p.m. in the entryway of The Edge of Hell." This is not the first wedding ceremony to be performed at the haunted house. There have been many over the past twenty-eight years since the doors at The Edge of Hell opened.
The union is going to be blessed by not just one, but two officiates, a father and daughter team. Leo Eilts and daughter, Rachel, are both ordained ministers. Leo is a family friend of Bart's and plays in a band called, "Spontaneous Combustion" in the Kansas City area. The evening will heat up with the bride appearing as a witch, with a floor-length black gown trimmed with a spider web design on the bodice and jacket. Her groom will don wizard attire, wearing a purple robe with silver embellishments over a black tunic. Both costumes were created by a seamstress in Moscow.
The couple says, "We wanted to have a fun, relaxing and informal wedding, so we've asked our guests to join us in costume for our wedding and reception." The wedding party will be dressed in a "magic" theme, including a sorceress, mermaid, fairy, mage and knight errant. After the actual ceremony, attendants and guests will be invited to follow the newlyweds through The Edge of Hell to experience their first steps together. When they reach the slide, the couple will be the last of the wedding party to take the 5-story plunge. As the two exit the slide, they will be hailed with a shower of candy corn, bubbles, or maybe sparklers. Who knows what other surprises might be in store as the evening sizzles on?
It's not easy planning a wedding from halfway around the world. So, Lori Church, Melinda's cousin, is their wedding planner. Her real job is working for the State of Kansas as an event planner. Although they are both from Kansas and attended the University of Kansas getting their Masters degrees in Russian and East European Studies, Melinda Farris and Bart Redford didn't meet until they both worked in Tver, Russia in 1997 for Tver InterContact Group, Bart as a translator and editor, Melinda as an editor and international programs director. Melinda currently works at the American Chamber of Commerce in Moscow, Russia. Bart works for the American Councils for International Education's, Moscow office.
Bart proposed to Melinda this past New Years' while on a trip to Finland, north of the Arctic Circle, in a small resort town. They went out to celebrate the New Year with a group of friends. Then they returned to their hotel room where Bart asked Melinda to marry him. "It was the very first thing he did in 2002!" she recalls.
Melinda is originally from Winchester, Kansas. What took her to Russia in the first place? While a student at Baker University, each student has one month slated for different possibilities, such as travel or internships. Melinda chose the "Tour of the Soviet Bear," which inspired her to work towards a masters in Russian. In 1986, Bart was getting his undergraduate degree in political science from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas when he elected to make a brief trip to Russia.
There doesn't seem to be any place these two won't go for kicks. Their smoldering passion will eventually take them to Thailand around New Years for a belated honeymoon.
A marriage made in "Hell," from Russia with love.
Kansas City -- Looking for the perfect location to plan your nuptials? Some couples seek out a little slice of heaven. Others are interested in some place a bit warmer."The Edge of Hell haunted house is the perfect atmosphere for the type of celebration we have planned," say Melinda Farris and Bart Redford. For Immediate Release
October 2002
Contact: Amber Arnett-Bequeaith
A marriage made in "Hell," from Russia with love.
Kansas City -- Looking for the perfect location to plan your nuptials? Some couples seek out a little slice of heaven. Others are interested in some place a bit warmer."The Edge of Hell haunted house is the perfect atmosphere for the type of celebration we have planned," say Melinda Farris and Bart Redford.
Why do couples like Melinda and Bart choose to wed at a haunted house? "Halloween has always been a favorite holiday for each of us, so we decided to plan our wedding on or around Halloween," says Melinda.
When Melinda attended Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas for her undergraduate degree in mass communications, she also wrote reviews for the newspaper. It gave her an opportunity to visit many local haunted houses, including The Edge of Hell. She was enamored with the entry way in particular, the architecture and design of the haunted house, including the antique decor. Then she surfed the web looking at different wedding sites to get ideas. The Edge of Hell was one of the places recommended as a possible wedding site.
Neither of their mothers were particularly pleased with the choice initially, but Melinda and Bart were hell bent on doing it their way. Once their mothers saw pictures of the haunted house, they, too, turned to the dark side. "Our wedding will be on November 2, 2002 at 5:30 p.m. in the entryway of The Edge of Hell." This is not the first wedding ceremony to be performed at the haunted house. There have been many over the past twenty-eight years since the doors at The Edge of Hell opened.
The union is going to be blessed by not just one, but two officiates, a father and daughter team. Leo Eilts and daughter, Rachel, are both ordained ministers. Leo is a family friend of Bart's and plays in a band called, "Spontaneous Combustion" in the Kansas City area. The evening will heat up with the bride appearing as a witch, with a floor-length black gown trimmed with a spider web design on the bodice and jacket. Her groom will don wizard attire, wearing a purple robe with silver embellishments over a black tunic. Both costumes were created by a seamstress in Moscow.
The couple says, "We wanted to have a fun, relaxing and informal wedding, so we've asked our guests to join us in costume for our wedding and reception." The wedding party will be dressed in a "magic" theme, including a sorceress, mermaid, fairy, mage and knight errant. After the actual ceremony, attendants and guests will be invited to follow the newlyweds through The Edge of Hell to experience their first steps together. When they reach the slide, the couple will be the last of the wedding party to take the 5-story plunge. As the two exit the slide, they will be hailed with a shower of candy corn, bubbles, or maybe sparklers. Who knows what other surprises might be in store as the evening sizzles on?
It's not easy planning a wedding from halfway around the world. So, Lori Church, Melinda's cousin, is their wedding planner. Her real job is working for the State of Kansas as an event planner. Although they are both from Kansas and attended the University of Kansas getting their Masters degrees in Russian and East European Studies, Melinda Farris and Bart Redford didn't meet until they both worked in Tver, Russia in 1997 for Tver InterContact Group, Bart as a translator and editor, Melinda as an editor and international programs director. Melinda currently works at the American Chamber of Commerce in Moscow, Russia. Bart works for the American Councils for International Education's, Moscow office.
Bart proposed to Melinda this past New Years' while on a trip to Finland, north of the Arctic Circle, in a small resort town. They went out to celebrate the New Year with a group of friends. Then they returned to their hotel room where Bart asked Melinda to marry him. "It was the very first thing he did in 2002!" she recalls.
Melinda is originally from Winchester, Kansas. What took her to Russia in the first place? While a student at Baker University, each student has one month slated for different possibilities, such as travel or internships. Melinda chose the "Tour of the Soviet Bear," which inspired her to work towards a masters in Russian. In 1986, Bart was getting his undergraduate degree in political science from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas when he elected to make a brief trip to Russia.
There doesn't seem to be any place these two won't go for kicks. Their smoldering passion will eventually take them to Thailand around New Years for a belated honeymoon.