I got married in a haunted hotel & made all my spooky dreams come true
Are you brave enough to stay overnight in a haunted hotel? What about getting married in one? I did, and it made all my spooky dreams come true.
Cue the novelty, themed, and destination weddings, as mine was technically all three! Here’s the backstory:
When I first met my adorably bizarre artist husband, I was temporarily living in Arizona for a ghost-writing gig, and my first short-term housing setup was coming to an end. I’d always loved exploring haunted hotels, and I remembered visiting Bisbee as a teen and becoming absolutely mesmerized by its vibe. So I posed an idea to test if he could be right for me: make a last-minute, 3.5-hour drive down to Bisbee to explore the notoriously haunted Copper Queen Hotel and Restaurant with me and my toy poodle.
We’re married now, so clearly he passed the test. In fact, it became such a foundational moment in our connection that we decided to host our wedding and share that defining moment with our 45 guests! Initially, we wanted to elope for our one-year dating anniversary, but after going in for appendix surgery on that exact day, fate had its way. We decided it was a sign to host a wedding and share the love with our family. We’re certainly glad we did, though our guests were left shook.
Note: We were the first wedding at this venue in over a decade, which meant a learning experience for the staff and a great deal of planning for us. Since saying our vows, the hotel has been put up for sale. Call the front desk if you, too, are yearning for your spooky and loving dreams to come true.
History of the venue
Nestled in the center of the charming town of Bisbee, the Copper Queen Hotel is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Arizona. Built in 1902 by the Phelps Dodge Corporation, it was designed as the most luxurious hotel in the state’s history, serving as a lure to the wealthy elite of the era to invest in the growing copper mine.
The Copper Queen Hotel boasts one of the state’s oldest operational elevators and offers sweeping views of the town. It also features ornate, detailed design within, and some of the largest rooms of the era. It has accommodated some recognizable guests over the years, including Harry Houdini, Grace Dodge, and John Wayne.
Ultimately a success for the community, the Copper Queen Hotel remains a prominent epicenter of the copper mining-turned-arts town of Bisbee. With four well-adorned stories, decadent staircases, time-appropriate furnishing, a saloon, a restaurant, and spirits a’plenty, the Copper Queen is one way to soak in the history of Bisbee by simply showing up.
Another big bonus, as evident on the hotel’s website, is that the management leans into the haunted aspect of this historical hotspot. Many of the paranormal tours of the area include the haunted floors of this hotel within their itinerary. In fact, during my bridal shower, which took place on the second-floor landing, a group from Bisbee Ghost Tours came through on official business, stopping near the celebration, as the snack table sat outside the notorious “suicide room.”
Ceremony in the Spirit Room
The opulent Victorian charm of the hotel makes it the perfect venue for a timeless wedding. With our modest budget, this meant being able to skip out on a great deal of decor and instead opt for the natural beauty of the Spirit Room, which we enhanced with classic red roses and tea lights.
The Spirit Room is the restaurant located within the hotel that offers weekend service. The menu and management are ever-shifting (the latter having changed hands three times within our six months of planning), so dining there is always an adventure—but usually in a good way! We chose the Philly cheesesteak, strawberry pecan salad, and BLTA. The quality of each dish changed with each shifting hand, but it was still decidedly delicious. Enjoying a meal here is a fine way to spend some time soaking in the haunted history.
The Spirit Room is spacious and can accommodate over 100 guests, combining the indoor dining area with the outdoor patio, which opens via large double doors to offer sweeping views of the town. Although we held our nuptials during a cold January, when snow was a real risk, the combination of indoor and outdoor dining is a significant plus to this already grand space. Between the curtains, wallpaper, wood trim, and other tasteful finishing touches, the Spirit Room is fit for royalty. The prices were accommodating to our modesty, though.
Now, a funny story: The Spirit Room ceremony proved to us the importance of thinking on our feet. Although planned in July for a far-away January date, the staff did not launder tablecloths or cloth napkins, forcing my groom and cousin-in-law—on the day of—to run across the street to Bisbee’s Table, where they acquired high-quality disposable napkins for our guests to use. The tablecloths switched to an unexpected color, but somehow blended into our royal-tone color palette. And the shifting restaurant hands resulted in our food and service being led by the 16-year-old sister of the general manager. This hotel is truly a family-run affair.
Thankfully, the ceremony and meal went on, albeit with some hitches, and many of our guests remained blissfully unaware of any issues. It has since become a funny story for us to tell. Besides, you know the saying: You get what you pay for!
Reception, ghost-hunting style
While the ceremony, meal, and light dancing took place in the Spirit Room, our guests had the option of joining us for an additional nighttime activity: the hotel ghost tour. After a long hiatus, the general manager had decided to break out the spirit rods, her best tour persona, and set the stage for a spooktacular ending to a spectacular day.
Precisely at 6 p.m., guests gathered in the first-floor foyer, crowding in on Victorian couches. The guide walked us through an opening ceremony—one that she called “the thinning of the veil”—and set expectations for the next hour. From there, we were taken along the halls of the hotel, stepping inside some of the most notoriously haunted rooms and experiencing the spook for ourselves.
The tour started in the outdoor hallway behind the saloon, where EVP readers of the past went wild. Only a few of my guests were willing to brave the long, dank, and dark hall to get to where sensitives see a man leaning against the stone wall. Most of us felt chills as well as a sense of being watched.
Second floor
Next, we were taken to the upper levels of the hotel, starting on the second story. Led down a hallway to a dead-end room, we were told the tale of the suicide room, the most recent guest tragedy of the hotel. Recently finding out about his wife’s infidelities, a man decided that his story would end in a setting that he had long adored. The Copper Queen had become his own sanctuary, often staying here when time would allow. His sanctuary became his tragic ending, though, in a gruesome final act.
Guests staying in his room have reported feeling the weight of a human sitting at the end of their bed, sometimes even feeling the covers being tugged off of them. My grandmother and uncle stayed in another haunted room just down the hall. Although a separate room altogether, they experienced the lights flashing off and on a couple times, even when they weren’t by the switch. Perhaps this spirit’s doing, perhaps another’s.
Third floor
The third and fourth floors of the Copper Queen hotel are the most historically notorious for hauntings. The third floor is home to the Houdini suite, the Julia Lowell room, and room 310.
Flashback to when my husband and I met at the hotel while dating; we booked room 310. Nearest to the balcony, this room seemed like a great fit. However, even my dog cowered on the bed, staring at the bathroom, which neither of us was comfortable using. With a history of exploring the spooky and tuning in, I decided to read the situation, which my now-husband had simultaneously decided to do.
Our suspicions and joint collaborative story were confirmed on this ghost tour when the guide shared the story of the horrors that occurred in the room. Many miners stayed in the hotel while on contract, a commonality of today. This particular miner, of room 310, decided to bring his wife with him. One night, he returned to find her with a positive pregnancy test—one that was not a result of his doing. Her story ended in that shower with a flight of rage, covered up almost impeccably. It was his own admission of guilt that led to this story becoming known. Stay in this room—like we, as well as my aunt and uncle, did—and risk the bathroom door opening on its own, the shower water starting up independently, and heavy feelings as you try to rest.
In an attempt to flip the script, we chose the Julia Lowell room as our wedding room. This room belonged to sex worker Julia Lowell, who would privately usher in her Johns through the very private third-story back entrance, which sits directly next to the bedroom. She had her regular clients, of course, one of whom was known for his charming wit. Julia had fallen for this man and had begged him to leave his wife for her. Speculation suggests that Julia may have been pregnant, while others assume this man was simply a regular part of her romance. When he declined, declaring that he wouldn’t see her anymore, Julia found herself distraught. She decided to hang herself from the beam just outside of her room, a public display of the rich emotion gone awry.
This room has remained a site of romance, decorated with warm, inviting hues and intricate furnishing, often rented as one of the most romantic rooms of the hotel. Our hope is that through this, her spirit may find peace in knowing that not all romance ends tragically.
Note: While staying in another room down the hall during the planning process, I heard a woman say, “Well, hello, handsome,” at the same time that my now-husband felt a hand sensually caress his back. There was no one else in the room but us and my dog, whose ears perked up at the same time at the sound and touch.
The Grace Dodge room is one of elitist opulence—open, airy, and spacious. For the period of this hotel, this room is unlike any other. It is also home to the sounds of men talking, shaking chandeliers, and radio static over the stereo in the middle of the night.
Here, our guide took out the spirit rods—a tool used by spiritualists throughout history and still often employed for physical paranormal communication. A boyfriend of one of our guests was a high skeptic, chuckling while my stepdaughter squealed in delight when the rod moved within her hands. He had to try it for himself, while mumbling his disbelief about how she was moving it on her own. To his shock and stun, the rods moved completely on their own while he asked questions. One swift swipe to the right was all it took for him to jump and hand the rods off to another, an experience he still speculates over to this day.
Down the hall is a room where the guide stayed while helping to remodel the hotel. In this room, she would feel someone breathing down the nape of her neck, eyes on her while walking to the shower, and a general sense of disgust when she’d enter the room. Needless to say, she only remained in this room for a week, quickly swooping in on another when it became available.
Upon entering the room, the majority of us felt dizzy or nauseous, both symptoms disappearing as we walked away. What exactly happened in that room is a mystery, though missing miners have been reported and never found after staying here in the early 1900s. Remnants of unsettled business, perhaps?
Fourth floor
The fourth floor marks the top of the hotel. Guests who stay here often call the front desk complaining of children running down the hall at all hours, only to learn there are no children staying on this floor (and sometimes none in the hotel at all!). My long-time best friend heard footsteps behind her as she was searching for her room. Quickly turning to see no one there, only to hear them once more when facing forward, she knew there was activity afoot.
If the mystery is killing you, the fourth floor is home to Billy’s room, a double-bed room with toys paying homage to the son of an old hotel worker. Her son, Billy, was found drowned in the river, but his spirit is said to have never left the hotel. Guests hear the pitter-patter of running feet and the sound of giggles. His room is said to have a very light and cheery energy, one that we all felt on the tour.
While exploring, my husband put the die-cast airplane in the flattened palm of his hand. While looking at it closely, it went rolling out of his palm—all on its own. If something similar happens to you, simply say “Hi, Billy,” and try not to question your sanity when you hear the distant giggles of a little boy as a response.
Post-tour
The tour ended back in the foyer with a closing cleansing and well wishes for the deceased. From there, many guests went to the saloon, for good reason! Others decided to look into the favor bags we handed out after the ceremony, which included a stick of palo santo, a crystal, and sage-infused bath salts. Many of the rooms have claw-foot tubs, beckoning the use of this cleansing thank-you gift. Our wedding was meant to inspire loving memories, not one of haunting attachments. Hopefully, these cleansing tools were used.
The next day, a wedding guest shared about her experience at a hotel down the road. She booked her stay at the last minute and, as a result, had to stay elsewhere. While trying to sleep the night after the wedding, she awoke to a dark, misty cloud moving over her—in bed! Filled to the brim with fear, she began singing hymnal songs she learned at a Bible camp until the cloud visibly dissipated. She certainly didn’t sleep for the rest of that night!
Haunted to this day
Our wedding was imperfect, chaotic, and filled with spirit—despite being a dry wedding (all pun intended). Our guests, and even our officiant, all noted how the Spirit Room radiated love, and it was easy to see how connected and joy-filled all the guests felt being there.
While some of the accommodations challenged our patience, we were able to appreciate how others were willing to make an effort. While the entertainment during the reception was lacking—my close friend is a rising singer who had to halt performing when the sound system cracked and repeatedly broke connection—our memories are now mesmerized by a notable ghost tour.
Nearly two years later, our guests are still sharing stories of their own spirit encounters from the destination wedding weekend. They often note how it was ironically the most peaceful wedding they’ve attended, which especially means a great deal coming from my seasoned and experienced 80-year-old grandmother!
My husband and I still visit the Copper Queen and Bisbee every chance we get, and marvel at how getting married at a haunted hotel made all our spooky dreams come true. Our experience still haunts us to this day. Just kidding—we leave the haunting to the ghosts that follow us home from all of our haunted explorations.
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