Mansfield Brandon Boyd and Jade Montoya aren’t interested in following convention.
That’s why, on July 16, they decided to say “I do” to each other on the steps of the Ohio State Reformatory minutes before Slipknot took the stage at THE Inkcarceration Tattoo and Music Festival.
“We saw a guy advertising on Facebook ‘Get married at Ink.’ She decided, ‘let’s do it.’ It was the greatest decision of our lives. It was cool as heck,” Boyd said.
The happy couple met in California in 2020. Boyd, 43, said they met at a friend’s house.
“I pulled up to my friend’s house and was going to leave, but I saw an extra car there. So I went inside, and I met her. I did a double take; I was like, ‘holy crap,’ ” Boyd said.
Three years later, the couple lives in Loudonville— where Boyd’s son and brother live.
“We finally decided to move because we weren’t getting anywhere in California. We’ve been through it, man. We were living a rough life in California. And she stuck with me through it all,” he said.
At the beginning of this year, he asked her to marry him. She said yes.
On Friday, the first day of the festival, he and Montoya, 33, walked around to determine the best spot with their officiant, Anthony Force. Together, they found the front steps of the Ohio State Reformatory as a good spot.
Force, 30, of Lima, said the ceremony was the most unique he’d ever officiated. Just 10 minutes before the ceremony, he moshed to the Lamb of God in the crowd.
“I had to wash myself off before the ceremony,” he laughed.
The ceremony was short but sweet.
“We are here to celebrate the union of two souls whose hearts beat to the rhythm of a hard and rebellious anthem,” Force said during the ceremony. “Love, much like rock music, knows no boundaries. It thrives on passion, defies convention, and breaks free from the ordinary.”
Force’s short speech ended with cheers from Inkers and the couple throwing horns before embracing with broad smiles on their faces.
It’s not the first time couples have tied the knot at Ink, Force said.
“And there’s a ton of proposals that happen too.”
Other ministers charged up to $100 for a ceremony, he said. His compensation included $25 and two drinks to write the short speech.
“It was pretty cool. Some random bystanders stopped by and listened to the ceremony … it was cool that so many people who didn’t know them stopped by and gave them respect,” he said.
Force said he’ll continue to offer the service at Inkcarceration. And when it comes time for him to get married?
“We intend on also having a unique ceremony,” he said.
Comment and share on this article: