Wedding Vows Exchanged at Zombie Fest

Cassie Hernandez married Andrew Nieves during "The Walking Dead Escape" at NRG Stadium in April. Based on "The Walking Dead" comic books, TV series and video games, the touring event sets up a FEMA-like staging area, through which survivors must navigate a mile-long course to reach an evacuation point, all while being pursued by those who choose to take part as zombies.

from an article written by Pamela Mitchell for www.houstonchronicle.com

As the zombie apocalypse looms every closer, survival groups gather to compare their Go-Bags, armored vehicles, and the state of their preparedness. But is there love and romance in the near-future dystopian society? Is there even room for it? 

As The Walking Dead themed fun runs and Escapes sweep the nation, one couple decided to celebrate their love and union by partaking in the event and confirming their dedication to each other. As Cassie mentioned, while other girls were dreaming of being a princess and having a fantasy wedding she was watching Beetlejuice and dreaming of the "horrors" of a marriage ceremony.

The fact that there are so many formerly repressed individuals who can now express their bloodlust for all things zombies is testament that the undead have taken their rightful place at the top of the food chain. What about vampires, you ask? Aren't they undead? Whoever said that would have been correct had it not been for the young adult-ing of the fanged ghouls with diamond skin and teenaged angst. 

Regardless, zombies, walkers, the undead have become elevated into popular culture in a way that George Romero could have only imagined on their best days. The Walking Dead, the top rated show on AMC, has caused other television development executives to green light their own shows, including Z Nation for SyFy channel and The Returned for A&E. 

Whatever the cause - infection, contaminated water supplies, weaponized viruses gone awry, bacteria-laced meteor rocks - now is a great time to be alive and into the undead.