People have asked why we chose the day of the dead as a theme for our wedding. While someone might call it day of the dead, dia de los muertos, or all souls' day, to us it is a celebration of not only the life we have, but those who have made it possible for us. Day of the dead is a time to honor those who came before us and staked out a future so that we might be able to live and join on our wedding day.
When we first started dating we were able to share in multiple events that highlighted our love and facination with day of the dead. Or first experience was inside of Disneyland during Halloween. During the holiday, Disneyland transforms their grounds and characters into a celebration of Halloween and related experiences. While we trick or treated around the grounds we found a cute area that had been decorated to pay homage to day of the dead.
When we returned back to Arizona, we were then able to travel down to Tucson and join in the Tucson All Souls Procession. This event is one of the largest of its kind in the country. It is a celebration of day of the dead, allowing people to dress up and participate in the parade through Tucson. The event ends with a gathering of all participants to watch a final act that takes earlier collected messages and prayers to loved ones and burn s them in an ariel fire show. The event is a glorious tribute to the spirit of the day allowing people to share their creativity and passion in fun and often elaborate ways.
Living in the southwest has indeed helped to influence our love for both the day of the dead as well as the many flares of the region. This is why we have decided to include themes from this day in our wedding. We will be setting up an altar to help us remember our grandparents, who have since passed away, as a reminder that our own lives were shaped long before we met. We will also be including colors, decorations, and other parts from the holiday to celebrate the love we share with our family and our friends.
