Full Sail Grad to Have Halo Wedding
It's 'A Match Made in Halo' at this year's Otronicon
Online Halo matches have brought together millions of people from across the globe – families, friends, and soon even a husband and wife.
Full Sail Digital Arts & Design graduate Desirai Labrada and her fiancée John Henry first met while battling each other in a deathmatch nearly five years ago, and will tie the knot this January during a Halo-themed ceremony.
“He said he was attracted to my Xbox Live Gamertag, which is ‘SickInTheHead,’” Desirai laughs. “Then it got to the point where we were talking to each other more during a game than we were actually playing it. Now when we think of Halo we think about each other before actually thinking about the game.”
Another twist in the couple’s big day is that it will be held publicly at this year’s Otronicon gaming convention at the Orlando Science Center – Central Florida’s annual event promoting the art and science of video games.
The ceremony is appropriately titled “A Match Made in Halo,” and will include such touches as Halo emblems on Desirai’s dress, candle party favors in the shape of Plasma Grenades, themed wedding cake, and the game’s signature music performed by a string quartet as she walks down the aisle. The nuptials will also be followed by a night of Halo deathmatches on the Science Center’s 8-story CineDome screen.
“As a graduate of Full Sail, I have had the opportunity to attend Otronicon and have always enjoyed this one-of-a-kind event,” she shares. “Now as a bride and a Halo fan, I cannot think of a more perfect setting to celebrate our wedding day. It’s going to be a blast and I hope everyone enjoys it.”
Speaking about the wedding, Rob Catto, Full Sail’s Program Director of Game Studies, sees Desirai and John’s story as another sign of how far the medium has come since its early days, and the power it has to transcend entertainment and help bring people together.
“‘A Match Made in Halo’ will bring to life how interactive entertainment and digital media are changing the way we communicate with one another,” Catto offers. “Today’s generation is meeting through online platforms and it is only natural for this unique way to connect and date to find its way into multi-player video games.”
**MTV News was on hand for the event; read their news account of it here.
Full Sail Digital Arts & Design graduate Desirai Labrada and her fiancée John Henry first met while battling each other in a deathmatch nearly five years ago, and will tie the knot this January during a Halo-themed ceremony.
“He said he was attracted to my Xbox Live Gamertag, which is ‘SickInTheHead,’” Desirai laughs. “Then it got to the point where we were talking to each other more during a game than we were actually playing it. Now when we think of Halo we think about each other before actually thinking about the game.”
Another twist in the couple’s big day is that it will be held publicly at this year’s Otronicon gaming convention at the Orlando Science Center – Central Florida’s annual event promoting the art and science of video games.
The ceremony is appropriately titled “A Match Made in Halo,” and will include such touches as Halo emblems on Desirai’s dress, candle party favors in the shape of Plasma Grenades, themed wedding cake, and the game’s signature music performed by a string quartet as she walks down the aisle. The nuptials will also be followed by a night of Halo deathmatches on the Science Center’s 8-story CineDome screen.
“As a graduate of Full Sail, I have had the opportunity to attend Otronicon and have always enjoyed this one-of-a-kind event,” she shares. “Now as a bride and a Halo fan, I cannot think of a more perfect setting to celebrate our wedding day. It’s going to be a blast and I hope everyone enjoys it.”
Speaking about the wedding, Rob Catto, Full Sail’s Program Director of Game Studies, sees Desirai and John’s story as another sign of how far the medium has come since its early days, and the power it has to transcend entertainment and help bring people together.
“‘A Match Made in Halo’ will bring to life how interactive entertainment and digital media are changing the way we communicate with one another,” Catto offers. “Today’s generation is meeting through online platforms and it is only natural for this unique way to connect and date to find its way into multi-player video games.”
**MTV News was on hand for the event; read their news account of it here.
