College football games override possible wedding dates

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zoogs

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(U-WIRE) LINCOLN, Neb. -- "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Those words, written by philosopher George Santayana in 1905, probably weren't intended as advice on when to schedule wedding dates.

Or more accurately, when not to.

For decades, as brides and grooms have decided when their weddings will be, many have been snubbed by their guests for overlooking an essential point for a problem-free day of marriage.

Don't do it on a college football Saturday.

According to a U.S. Census Bureau report released in 2003, roughly 2.3 million marry in the United States each year. Among those, August is the second-most popular month for couples to wed, with 10.2 percent of marriages taking place then. This is followed closely by September and October.

Kyle and Megan Schuelke were lucky -- and smart. The couple married in Lincoln in the spring 2006, though they considered a fall nuptial.

The Schuelkes said planning their wedding around a football game, especially Nebraska Cornhusker football, would have made an already tough task nearly impossible.

"Neither of us wanted to have it on a Husker game day, it would be stupid," Kyle said. "It would be so hard to plan on how many people were going to show up. We even looked at trying to get a non-game Saturday, and (churches) were booked up like a year in advance."

Unlike the Schuelkes, Susie Joyce got married in Lincoln on Sept. 17, 2005. It just so happened that the Huskers were also in town, beating Pittsburgh 7-6 on the same day.

Joyce and her husband, Thomas, were rushing to get married before the autumn chill hit. The couple, who own a wedding officiating service in town, managed to schedule their ceremony a few hours after the game ended, though some people still never showed up.

"Nowadays people don't RSVP," Susie Joyce said. "It got to a point where it was nice we had a good turnout, but we would have invited others if we knew some of them wouldn't come because of football." But Joyce said anyone brave enough to challenge a Nebraska football Saturday needs to consider a few things first.

For example, tell the guests months or a year in advance to book a hotel room because there won't be any around here. Also remember that the game will affect all kinds of other services, like catering and the availability of popular reception spots.

The Schuelkes held their reception in the Nebraska Champions Club, just a stone's throw from Memorial Stadium. Champions Club states in its Web site that its services are free to the public for rental anytime but football Saturdays.

Megan said jokingly that if a couple were on a tight budget but still wanted to invite lots of guests, a wedding during a Husker game day might solve the problem.

"I would totally understand (as the bride)," Megan said. "It would be good for us because we wouldn't have to pay for their extra plate."

Diehard Husker fan James Vaske said he's never had to make such a tough decision. But he knows people who have, like a friend who chose last season's game against Texas over family and felt the consequences later on.

Vaske said Sept. 15 is this year's "off-limits" date, when Southern California makes the trek to Lincoln.

"You should probably know what's going on," Vaske said of scheduling a day to marry. "At least have a little common decency for a wedding Sept. 15."

If he were forced to attend a wedding then, he said he might have to resort to an earphone or continuous text message updates.

Kyle also said all bets are off when the Trojans come to town this fall.

"I might skip my own wedding for that one," Kyle said, "if I wasn't already married."
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I always thought there should be a state law against weddings on football Saturday, heck I know at least three ministers and a priest personally who refuse to conduct any service on gameday, period.

 
I always though of my sisters as "football savvy" but one had her rehearsal the same time as the '05 CU game and the other one's getting married the Saturday of this year's A&M game. And I've been told that the day is "all about them" so I shouldn't even consider watching the game.

EEK

 
huskerstag said:
I always though of my sisters as "football savvy" but one had her rehearsal the same time as the '05 CU game and the other one's getting married the Saturday of this year's A&M game. And I've been told that the day is "all about them" so I shouldn't even consider watching the game.

EEK
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I would invest in one of those mini TV's. It would be worth it.

 
dude, I don't even live in Nebraska...but I have a friend getting married this September. When he told me it was on a Saturday, I said "ah man...sounds like I'm going to miss your wedding."

Especially when the date was still up in the air and he kept thinking it might fall on the NU/USC game.

Luckily it's on Wake Forest day...and his wedding is at 4pm. The game's at 11am.

I'll get to do both

:D

 
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Now its not that hard to plan a wedding in Nebraska during football season. Its really easy in fact. You just check the schedule and schedule it on a day when the Huskers are out of town. Just book the venue for the entire day that way you can be flexible with the game time and then at the reception have the game played on as many tvs as you can fit (preferably a giant projector). Heck if my fiancee were insisting on a fall wedding then I would think a compromise would be to at least have the game played at the reception.

 
There's no sense in trying to fight it. Especially the brides. Even if the wedding took placein June, about 90% of the people there don't care about the day. They are there for the food and drink. Many will leave after dinner is served. Throw in a Husker football game and 97% of the people at the wedding don't care and are even pissed that they had to go.

 
There are so many other things besides weddings that need to be put on the backburner for gameday. Christmas parties around the big 12 championship game when NU is in it of course I have paid off my wife many times to stay away from such functions.

The birth of children. Make sure the Dr. induces labor 2 days before any game if the due date falls on gameday. My youngest was 2 days early.

A close relative needs help moving on the weekend. I paid 2 men and a truck to move my sister. She actually thought i would miss the TX game live and tivo it to help her...Nut job.

Birthday parties for children-They will not happen any less than 3 hours prior to a game and end no less than an hour before it. This gives ample time to get any non husker or loud children who are not yours off your premises.

 
My friend is having his wedding during the Mizzou game. I'm the best man. I already called him an idiot. I'm going to have to sneak in a TV.

 
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