A nice day for an undead wedding
Romances can start anywhere – even while chasing after someone and trying to turn them into a zombie.
Todd Hicken met his wife Kayli after playing a game of Humans vs. Zombies in the fall 2011. They were engaged the following spring at the conclusion of another Humans vs. Zombies week, and a short version of the game was included at their wedding reception this summer.
According to humansvszombies.org, “Humans vs. Zombies is a game of tag. All players begin as humans, and one is randomly chosen to be the ‘Original Zombie.'”
Humans can defend themselves by running away or “stunning” a zombie by shooting them with a Nerf dart or hitting them with a homemade sock grenade. Buildings are “safe zones” where the game does not take place. The game is popular across the world but especially on college campuses, according to humansvszombies.org.
After enjoying the game for a week on USU campus, Todd was discussing the results of the game on the Humans vs. Zombies Facebook page. Kayli was also commenting on the page, and the two decided to start hanging out.
Todd and Kayli soon became close friends, and the relationship eventually developed into much more. The couple dated during the winter and into the spring.
In March 2012, Humans vs. Zombies began again on the USU campus. This time, Kayli started as a human and Todd started as a Zombie.
“I was a zombie from the start so it was different to be playing against Kayli,” Todd said. “But we set up meeting times in safe zones where we could see each other plenty.”
Todd said he was asked several times by other zombies for information on Kayli so they could tag her and make her join the zombie team.
“They wanted me to give them her class schedule and tell them where she would be,” Todd said. “I wasn’t about to sabotage my own girlfriend, especially when I was planning a very special ending to the game for both of us.”
At the end of the week when the game was over, the players all gathered for some closing remarks by the game’s organizers. Todd got up in front of the crowd and began thanking people for participating in the game. Then Todd turned his attention to Kayli.
“The person I really need to thank is my girlfriend,” Todd said, pulling her up in front of the crowd with him. He then asked Kayli to marry him right in front of hundreds of zombies and surviving humans.
The crowd responded by cheering, yelling and even shooting darts into the air with their blasters.
Over the summer, Todd and Kayli Hicken were married. At their reception, Todd organized a small version of the game for guests to play. The reception took place at the Logan LDS Institute of Religion but because of the limited space available, the game was played in the cultural hall and kitchen.
“Our families had mixed feelings about having Humans vs. Zombies be a part of our engagement and reception,” Todd said. “But in the end, they really just wanted us to be happy and knew it was a big part of our relationship and that it was important to us.”
Many of Todd and Kayli’s friends and family played the game during their wedding reception, allowing the guests a glimpse into the game that started the Hicken’s relationship.
“To have a cookie-cutter wedding would be so boring and forgettable,” Kayli said. “I love how unique Todd was and how we put Humans vs. Zombies into our reception.”
The couple continue to play Humans vs. Zombies.
“We plan on playing HvZ for a while,” Todd said. “We really enjoy it, and it’s a big part of our relationship.”
– kylekheywood@gmail.com
Twitter: @heywood_kyle