"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to be without you” – Winnie the Pooh
It took us awhile before we came across the site. A 75-foot tall structure made of marble with sculpted figures outlining the walls. It is a burial site dedicated to the 15 pioneers of aviation. A shrine erected to honor the dearly departed. Damaris, at first, was against the idea of shooting here, since her grandfather is buried somewhere near this very same place. But the night before their wedding day, I received a phone call from her. She finally decided that it was OK to do their post ceremony pictures here. I couldn’t be more happier. I understand her reservations in shooting at an odd place like this. A cemetary. It was a stark contrast to what her and Marcos are trying to celebrate. A couple, about to begin their new life together is set in a place were people are laid to rest. But the more we walked the grounds, the more the symbolism of life and death became more apparent to me. We did not mean to disrespect any of the dead by celebrating a new life. Far from it. As I see it, Damaris and Marco’s new lives as husband and wife is about to begin. And although there is still a long journey ahead of them, at the end of it all, the phrase “Till death do us part” is not just a phrase we say during the wedding vows. It’s a promise we have to keep and our sole intent, as married individuals, to attain with our better-half.
