I Still Do – A Mid-Year Vow to LOVE AGAIN
- Alejandra Lopez
- Jul 7, 2025
- 3 min read
We’re halfway through the year.
And while some rush to finish what they started, others — like me — are slowing down to feel.
To breathe.
To choose love, again.
A few months ago, I married the love of my life. And as a producer, I knew I wanted something meaningful, spiritual, and deeply personal. I searched far and wide — until I discovered a spiritual wedding ceremony in Mexico rooted in the Zapoteca tradition.
You might be wondering… what is that exactly?
Let me tell you: it was one of the most profound experiences of my life.
The ceremony is led by an elder descended from Zapotec nobility — originally — in a setting of deep spiritual significance. The couple offers a sacred gift called a Tlalmanalli — an arrangement of flowers, seeds, and fruits placed on a woven mat, symbolizing the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
Earth stands for patience and the ongoing renewal of our inner harmony.
Air represents communication and the power of words to build understanding.
Fire ignites the warmth and passion needed to embrace life.
Water teaches us to flow through adversity with grace.
Before the ceremony, the chamana (female shaman) guided us into the heart of nature, where we entered a temazcal* — just the two of us. No guests. No cameras. No curated timeline.
Just heat. Sweat. Breath. Prayers. Presence.
Inside that steam-filled dome, we said our vows. Not the scripted kind — but the kind our souls needed to hear.
We cried.
We stripped down — not just our bodies, but our fears, our masks, our defenses.
We let ourselves be fully seen.
And in that rawness, we didn’t just speak — we released, we healed, we connected.
It felt like a spiritual purification. A quiet ceremony of truth, energy, and soul.
That moment became the true heart of our wedding journey.
We often think of vows as a one-time thing — something said once, on the “big day.”
But since that ceremony, we’ve come to believe that vows are meant to be renewed.
Again and again. In different seasons. From different places in the heart.
Because renewing your vows doesn’t require a stage or a dress. Sometimes, it’s just sitting across from someone you love — or from yourself — and saying:
“I still choose you. I still choose us. I still choose me.”
July isn’t the end of something.
It’s the middle.
A turning point. A portal.
A sacred pause to come back to what matters.
Whether you’re married, dating, single, or healing — you can choose love again.
Love for your PATH.
Love for your PEACE.
Love for your GROWTH.
So here’s a gentle ritual for the week ahead:
Light a candle.
Write a letter to yourself, or to your partner.
Say what needs to be said — not perfectly, but truthfully.
From the depths of a temazcal in Oaxaca to this screen…
This is your invitation to start again — with softness, with soul, and with love.
I’m Alejandra, and I’d be honored to help you create your wedding or your vow renewal in Mexico that feels like poetry — just like mine did.
And maybe, just maybe… your love story is next!
With all my heart,
Alejandra Lopez
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