Halloween Vow Renewal

A long, long, long, long time ago… before the beginning of time, there was this group. This group called Outkast. There were two of ’em….

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And so begins the story of “The Hubbs” and I. Two kids, being kids, fell in love more than 17 years ago. Got engaged more than 15 years ago, and then married 13 years ago. We are a group, a team, a ride-or-die couple.

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Like all married couples, we have been through our fair share of shit. That’s life, after all. Got to take the good with the bad, all that stuff. We had a lovely wedding back in 2004. Everyone was there, and everyone had a blast!

One thing that baffles me is how much technology has advanced since then. We had disposable cameras on the tables at our wedding! There were no smart phones back then. I can’t believe I’m saying this… I sound old! Wait, I’m 40!! When the heck did that happen?!?! I digress.

Anyway… we are metalheads. Outkasts. (even though we’re metalheads, we do love the band Outkast. BRING THE FUNK, BABY!!) It’s true that weddings and funerals are more for the people who attend them, rather than the person/people themselves. We had a traditional wedding 13 years ago, but this time, we wanted to celebrate ourselves for who we truly, truly are. We love metal. We love the Earth beyond measure. We love animals. We love dark, sparkly things. We love fruits & vegetables, and we love to be silly.

It turns out that one of our dear friends was Papa Emeritus one Halloween, so to be our silly, metal-loving selves, we asked if he would unofficially officiate, and he said YES! That led to his wife, and our other two dear friends to be Nameless Ghouls. The stage was set for a truly metal vow renewal.

We had a Lutheran wedding the first time. I grew up Lutheran, and even went to a private Lutheran school up until the 6th grade. I have nothing against that at all. I had a great time there an I learned quite a bit. As I grew older, religion got away from me, but at my first job at Wendy’s, I met a man who was a Pagan. Truthfully, it scared the shit out of me, because everyone demonizes this religion. But talking to him, and having an open mind, I listened to what he had to say. He gave me a book about Wicca in the modern world, and I read it out of pure curiosity. My Mother did not approve, and to not dishonor her while I was living in my parents home, I got rid of the book, and hung it up.

Fast forward to Angel and I living together, not yet married, my curiosity piqued again, and I started reading. I didn’t commit to anything, but just wanted to educate myself. It turns out that through my reading, I agreed with most of the things outlined in the Wiccan religion. I have a profound affinity for the Earth, and all its creatures large and small. I love the plants that nourish us. I love the people who love us in return. I try to practice understanding, and tolerance. I strive to be the best human I can be. In my limited understanding of religions in general, it seems that they all have the same general guidelines, just different flavors. It’s all good content, just presented in a different context for different cultures, people, demographics, and tastes. Be good to your neighbor. Be kind and understanding. Don’t hurt people or animals.

I’m not saying that I subscribe rigidly to any one religion, but I do know what is in my heart. I want to be good to people. I want to go out of my way. I want to share my riches with people (however meager they may be), and love, love, love until we supernova all over the universe!

Speaking of our love for fruits and vegetables, Melissa’s Produce was kind enough to provide us with the fruits and veggies for our healthy appetizer spread! Above, for the ceremony, we have Zombie Eyeballs, made with passion fruits, rambutans, and pomegranate arils. Then, a superb veggie tray spread of purple and orange cauliflower PERFECT for Halloween, grape tomatoes, broccoli, rainbow carrots, and fancy radishes from the farmer’s market!

I made gougeres, because I absolutely LOVE them, and used a bunch of freaky fruits to make Freaky Fruits Salad, and Mini Monster Snacks.

And then, there was cake. I despise fondant, because it tastes gross. Give me buttercream or give me death! I found some naturally black cocoa powder, and again, Melissa’s Produce came through with the berries not only for the filling, but to decorate the outside of this luxurious cake created by the infinitely talented Rebecca Batz (hire her)! I can’t praise her enough – the cake was moist, delightfully chocolatey, and that buttercream, man. Just get out of town! My eyes literally rolled back in my head, and I had a moment with this cake. It was the best cake I’ve ever had. I’ll put my house on that one man, it’s the truth.

The actual ceremony was held at the Mission Inn in the Anne Rice room. It was absolutely stunning. The reception was held at The Brickwood, across the way from the Mission Inn, and were so unbelievably gracious about our party. Since they don’t serve food, they allowed us to bring in all of these goodies. We shared them not only with all of our wedding party, but the staff, and all of the other patrons too! What an amazing night. To be surrounded by our family and friends on such a joyous night was truly humbling and we are so eternally grateful for all the love that has been shared with us! Here’s to being proper stewards of the Earth, and to loving one another eternally!

All Before, during and after ceremony photos were captured by the amazingly brilliant Horacio Garcia. The room dome photos were taken by myself.

Samhain Love,

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