What It's Like to Get Married at Burning Man

Photos and words from two star-crossed lovers who tied the knot in the craziest place on earth.

by Marcela Villanueva

August 26, 2016, 4:22pm

This article was originally published on THUMP Mexico.

Committing to another person for the rest of your life can be an overwhelming thought for many—but if you decide to tie the knot at Burning Man, the week-long desert gathering of music, arts, and fire, you're definitely starting things on the right foot, right?

Enter Mariana and Lalo, two Mexican burners who decided to do just that: merge their love for acrobatic yoga, partying, music, and community in a wedding ceremony in the mythical Black Rock City three year ago. In addition to giving us the inside scoop on what it's like to get married at Burning Man, Mariana and Lalo offered up some photos from their wedding album, so you can get an idea of just how magical things are when you're in love in the dust.

THUMP: What made you decide you wanted to get married at Burning Man?

Mariana: When we decided we wanted to get married, we obviously thought about where we would do it. I Told Lalo 'Burning Man!," and after getting quite excited, we both agreed.

Lalo: My eyes lit up because in my head I thought: "She's definitely the perfect woman." I knew we both had the determination and persistence to make it happen. All it needed was some organization and hard work.

What memories do you have of the wedding that wouldn't have been possible if you'd had a conventional wedding?

Lalo: Pretty much all of them. But mainly it was the energy we felt when we got there. Going to Burning Man is a logistical challenge and coordinating a large group of people to go to the desert for a week of camping certainly doesn't make it any easier. So the energy that came with all of that made the experience really spiritual: the costumes, the ceremony at the pyramid temple, the food and mezcal we gave away in the camp. Not to mention there was a maniacal 24-hour party at Robot Heart that ended with us dancing at dawn. You couldn't beat it.

Mariana: Also, as acro-yoga teachers, we gave a workshop to 80 people who attended wanting to learn. And there was a bike ride along the playa with all our invited friends, new friends—and Reverend Bobo!

Lalo: I remember I could't find Reverend Bobo, and had been trying to look for him since we arrived at the beginning of the week. On Friday, the day of the wedding, we got a crew together to try to locate him so we could start the ceremony. I found him at 10AM, and the wedding was at 2PM [laughs]. Thankfully, everything went well. "By the laws of the state of Nevada, I pronounce you husband and wife," he said.

Pedaling all the way to the temple with our friends, ready for the wedding.

Finally arriving at the chosen ceremony site. Here came the moment of truth!

Making a "salute to the seven directions," where the energies of each cardinal point extend into the sky, ground, and the inside of each person—to open a portal of happiness.