Jesse and Erika: Day of the Dead Themed Wedding

This weekend we’re featuring a Halloween themed wedding by Debi, from Debi Parker Photography based out of Washington D.C.

Debi tells us,

“Jesse & Erika were married on 11/1/08 at Black Creek Park in Rochester, NY. Since their wedding day was the day after Halloween it was a Halloween and Day of the Dead themed wedding, which explains their use of skeletons as part of the decor. It also explains the wax lips and Groucho glasses they used for their family portraits.

Their wedding day was full of autumn colors, natural elements and unique ideas. From Erika’s hair done to resemble a bird’s nest to Jesse’s boutonnière being a simple feather, everything was tied together.

I would like to highlight a few of the aspects of their day that I found to be completely unique and wonderful. First of all I love the boutonnieres they had for their families. They used apples and oranges showing that although they are different families, now through marriage, they are one big family, incorporating the idiom, comparing apples and oranges. They also offered apples and oranges with their dessert table.

Another way in which they involved their families was to use hand fasting as a part of their wedding ceremony. Hand fasting is a Celtic tradition in which each element of their family in turn ties a ribbon around the bride and groom’s hands symbolizing their coming together.

At the reception instead of cutting their cake with a knife, Jesse & Erika took a hatchet to their cake. They also had a bluegrass band called the Varnish Cooks and a line dance caller and both got their guests off their seats and up dancing for hours! One of the sweetest moments of the night was when Erika, her mother and cousin sang a song for her grandmother, who came up to the microphone and joined her girls for the song.”