OT: Wedding Days and Michigan Football?
After reading about Harbaugh crashing weddings, it got me to thinking about weddings I have HAD to go to when Michigan was playing.
The one for me that stands out the most was the infamous '94 Colorado game. I was at the reception listening to the game on my walkman. I was getting a lot of people coming up to me asking the score. When the final hail mary happened, i took my headphones off and slammed them on the floor, while my walkman shattered. I immediately left and went home with lots of puzzled stares by wedding goers.
My other episode was the '05 Penn State game. While at the reception my step dad and I snuck into the country club locker room that had a big screen tv. There was this guy sitting in there with us who was drunker than a skunk f-bombing every UM player. Anyways, after the Henne to Manningham happened I started high fiving this drunk guy in the country club locker room and hugging my step dad.
Those are my 2 Michigan football / attending wedding stories. Anyone else have something similar happen to them while HAVING to go to a wedding on the day of a Michigan football game?
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
You are not the only one. We received a wedding invitation earlier this year and sure as shit, it is on September 12, which is the OSUw game. I was honestly angry after seeing the date. As I stated in another post, though, I'm skipping the ceremony. The game is at noon that day, thankfully. Normally I despise noon games, but I'm happy that one is.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^
get crazy about weddings, that is the reason. They get crazy with such force that it simply overmatches any objection the groom can muster. If a women gets her heart set on a day no football game is going to deter her, and the very mention of one may only strengthen her resolve to have it on the day because "how dare they!" It is best to stay out of the fall season completely so the issue never comes up.
if a woman is getting that nuts about a fall wedding, she's doing you a favor.
if you're the groom and love football, it's a sign to run, not walk out of this relationship before it inevitably happens and she also gets half your shit.
If you're invited to the wedding, it's a sign that divorce will likely happen, and the time/money spent and the heartbreak of missing a Michigan football game will all be for naught.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
Bocheezu should be awarded 1,000,000 points. That is exactly how I feel about autumn weddings. I will never understand why people do them during football season.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
I have specifically asked a few friends about this because I do not understand it either. When I got married my wife and I specifically planned out that it would be before early August to avoid CFB and NFL conflicts. Works out if you proposed the summer before so its about a year wait (or however long you want to wait).
My friends' responses, all of who are big sports fans were basically a mix of the following:
- It was the only realistic date available at the place we wanted
- It's one game, against (crappy team), so we figured it sucks, but hey at least it wasn't a big fame
- I didn't have much of a choice - it was mostly planned by wife & her family (Mom)
- This day is about me and my wife, we couldn't pick a day that worked for all of our friends
To me, its simply being cognizant of your friends and picking something that works for the vast majority of people. That means no fall Saturday or Sundays.
I also think there are people who are "big sports fans" in appearance, but when push comes to shove they schedule their wedding in contradiction to that. Meaning, they are not as big as they proclaim. Oh well.
Brother in law is getting married this Fall despite being engaged for what feels like 2 minutes. At least it's an away game (Maryland).
One set of friends did it well and got married on a Football Saturday, but in A2, and held a tailgate earlier that day. So we got to go to the game and the wedding.
Since when are the people behind planning weddings at all cognizant of their friends and family? It is pure unadultered narcissism on that day, and it's a sign of a sick culture.
Friday wedding? Bride and groom save some money but inconvience hundreds of people who now have to take 2 days off work and pull kids out of school. Have a destination wedding? Yea, I'm sure all these people want to go on vacation together for the week and end it with a wedding! Wedding during a summer holiday weekend? Yea, I'd love to be in a city on July 4 weekend instead of on a boat in Northern Michigan! Football game? Yea, I'll miss one of 6/7 home games a year to go to this!
Until people put their foot down and either quit attending or stop allowing their bridezilla wife to do this crap, it'll only get worse.
Here's what no one really admits...most weddings really aren't that special or memorable, and the party isn't that great relative to the amount of planning and money spent on them.
My wife and I met in A2 in college. Our favorite time of year is in the fall, and it's hard to beat A2 in the fall. We obviously tried for the bye, but that didn't work out, so we planned it for a noon game and had the ceremony after 4. The day was perfect, I wasn't a sweaty mess (I like the cooler months, and wearing a wool tux in july would not help this). Our entire wedding was Michigan themed, on campus, with the fight song, maize and blue pom poms, all the girls wore navy blue dresses with yellow flowers. Tables at Union were all named after UofM landmarks. My brother's best man speach mentioned the game earlier that day.
The only thing it prevented was people going to East Lansing to attend the game, which is probably a favor on my part. If it's that big of a deal, don't go to the wedding. There are very few weddings where it is crucial for you to be there. I know I've heard similar complaints for people who had weddings during the stanely cup playoffs. Go to the game, watch the game at home, it all saves everyone money.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:01 PM ^
Needless to say we were not together much longer.
Buddy got married in Flordia (FSU grad) on WMU in 2011. The game was rained out so it really didn't count that I missed the game.
you got to miss the Penn State game though. :(
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^
get married on a fall saturday
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
Totally agree, however, my best friend's daughter, who is not a Michigan fan, planned their wedding for the day of the rededication of the new additions in 2010. I reluctantly went and gave away my tickets to a work colleague and he was nice enough to save for me the bottled water and medallion.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^
I went to a wedding during UTL 1. It was on a beach, there was one tv but the bride (who was a Spartan grad) wouldn't let us turn on the Michigan game. My dad snuck away to watch the second quarter at a bar (without telling me) and then we listened to the end in someone's rented minivan. One of my favorite pictures is of four of us sitting in a van going nuts as Gallon is running toward the end zone.
One of my friends also got married during the MSU/UofM game that same year (trash tornado). I don't mind missing the game in hindsight but he had 6 groomsmen, 3 UofM grads and 3 MSU grads. It was brutal. In his defense he tried to schedule around the game but they changed the date when Nebraska joined the Big Ten.
She had to wait until after sundown...
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:15 PM ^
We were living on the east side of Detroit in 1971 when we scheduled our wedding for Saturday, October 30--Homecoming against Indiana.
No problem. We reserved the beautiful chapel of Concordia (then) College on Geddes Road for a 7:00 p.m. ceremony. Kickoffs then were all at 1:00 so we had more than enough time to change clothes and make it to the church for our own personal kickoff. Spent the night at the Holiday Inn in Windsor on the river with a balcony view of the Detroit skyline.
Oh yes, Bo and the boys thoroughly thrashed the Hoosiers 61-7 (that lone tochdown being the only disaapointment of the day) and we will celebrate our 44th anniversary this year.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:10 PM ^
I'll be standing in a wedding this Oct. 3rd. Night of the Maryland game. The bride and groom are both Michigan grads (her twice, him soon to be thrice). The wedding will be over by the time of the game, so we'll be doing the whole reception/party bit. Of the 16 people in the wedding party 12 hold at least one Michigan degree. Interesting choice on their part...
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
Both my wife and I are standing in a wedding that day too for her sister. To make matters worse, she also has all 3 of my daughters in it as flower girls and my son as a ring bearer. Not only am I going to miss the game, but I am taking a hit financially with all the dresses and other wedding junk that goes into it.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:20 PM ^
We've only missed two games for weddings. Neither were memorable.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:40 PM ^
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August 3rd, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:27 PM ^
The one I was pissed off the most about was the 2008 Wisconsin game. I was the first half on TV, but had to listen to the second half on the radio because of some selfish fuck heads who just HAD to have their dumb wedding and reception on a football Saturday (I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for that). A friend and I were basically sitting in my car in the parking lot of the building until the game was over, cheering like crazy.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:27 PM ^
ask her over the summer! Too soon for her to plan a wedding in just a few months, and she most likely won't want to have an engagement over a year long
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:32 PM ^
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^
34-9. Worst home loss in like 35 years and sent the fanbase into panic mode because it was the 2nd complete ass beating that year, the first being the Citrus Bowl against Tennessee where Jason Whitten outran our entire secondary.
The Iowa game was actually pretty close until Markus Curry (I think?) muffed a punt in the 2nd quarter. Then it was like a Iowa frieght train the rest of the game. We couldn't tackle anybody. Jermelle Lewis scored on a screen play that was the most pathetic display of defense I'd seen until the RR Wheel of Doom defense against Illinois in 2010.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:36 PM ^
So my wife and I got married October 6, 2007, the record will show that Michigan played Eastern Michigan that day and it was also the day that Mike Hart broke the career rushing record. What the record will not show is 18 months prior when I put the deposit down for the church and the hall is that was the bye week on the schedule. My wife and I selected it specifically because it was the bye week. In those 18 months the following happened:
- The NCAA mandated 12 game schedules.
- The Eastern game was rescheduled to our wedding day.
- The arrangement that would be the Horror came into existance.
Yeah, my wife and I are season ticket holders and were forced to get married on a Game Day despite trying to avoid it. On the plus side, I will never forget as we are walking back down the aisle at the end of the ceremony my wife looking over at our friends from our section at the stadium and asking what the score was - yes, it was our wedding day, we had been married officially for under 5 minutes, and the number 1 priortiy at the time for my wife was the score of the football game.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:43 PM ^
I had been married for six months when my wife's only brother got married in Louisiana. There was no escape. I was a groomsman and the ceremony was 1 hour after kickoff in the wilderness south of Lafayette. He was an LSU grad and a big SEC fan and was very careful to schedule the wedding so that he could watch the Iron Bowl later that day.
This was in the days before internet and the facility, which was very nice, did not have a television. I resorted to running to my car and listening to updates on an AM station out of New Orleans whenever I could break free. Nearly 20 years later, I am still bitter.
My marriage lasted 2 1/2 years. If I had it to do over, I would have skipped the wedding and watched the game.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
I'll be at two weddings this fall on Michigan football Saturdays, the BYU game and the MSU game. It's annoying, but I'll make sure to have earbuds and the radio feed at the very least.
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August 3rd, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
I can only think of two weddings I attended during Michigan games:
1) The OSU game where we tied back in the early 90's...I was on the outs with my then-GF, and her loser brother married some other loser. I felt no compunction getting hammered at the hotel bar and watching the game during all the toasts and other reception stuff. Yeah, I was an immature, self-absorbed dick.
2) 2003 Michigan-Notre Dame. I flew in to see my buddy from U-M get married in freakin' Plymouth or Canton or somewhere like that. We beat the shit out of him during his bachelor party in Vegas for scheduling his wedding on a Michigan football Saturday. We were so, so close to Ann Arbor, yet so far away. Thank God that game was a blowout for the good guys.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^
I went to a wedding and reception on the 2006 OSU Michigan game. I watched the first half in a Buffalo Wild Wings between the wedding and reception. I told my wife, who was in the wedding party, that I would be at the reception after the game since it was 1 vs. 2. Changed my mind at half time and went to the reception before the second half. I decided getting brownie points with my very understanding wife was more important than watching Lloyd Carr. I knew I was recording the game on the DVR. My wife was pleasantly surprised at my early arrival and I got drunk on free booze while getting updates on the game. I also got married on a Purdue Michigan game in October. Michigan won a boring game of which I watched the first half. These days it doesn't matter. You can watch any game on your phone.
/superstitious
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
I still remember the priest's opening remarks at my aunt and uncle's wedding on the Saturday of the 1991 Michigan-MSU game: "Dearly beloved, and those of you who missed the kickoff, we are gathered here today..."
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:56 PM ^
I was at a wedding when the Red Wings won the cup in '97. Someone brought a TV into the reception area and most people watched the game instead of dancing. The bride seemed okay with it, publicly at least. The groom was totally into it.
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:56 PM ^
I was at a wedding the night of the MSU-ND "little giants" game. There were a lot of sparty fans in the wedding party, including the groom, who were grumbling about missing the game. The wife and I left the wedding around 11:30, and the game was still going on by the time we got home. We walked in just in time for the final play. I remember chuckling to myself that all those sparties stuck at the wedding missed one of the most epic plays in MSU history.
I've only ever skipped one to go to a wedding, 2013 Michigan vs. Michigan State. It was my wife's best friend, and I'd actually moved in with them early on in our relationship, so I felt I couldn't get out of it without being a jerk. I DVR'd the game, and was completly antisocial during the entire reception. I basically hung out at the periphery of the parking lot and would launch into a spiel should anyone strange approach who may not have known that I was trying to avoid the score of the game. Once it was done, I raced home and watched it, finishing well into the early morning. When Gibbons kicked that FG to win, I felt like my small sacrifice had somehow helped nudge fate onto the side of the good guys.
My wife and I also got married in the fall but to spare our friends - who are fans of UGA, Texas, Auburn, etc. - and ourselves from any possible game conflicts, we got married on a Sunday. Cheaper, too.
Luckily, apart from my brother, I think I'm basically through with weddings of people who are important enough for me to even consider making that sacrifice.
you might have your years confused. We didn't win the 2013 game, but we did win in that fashion in 2012.
You'd think with so few victories over them lately that each win would be crystal clear in my mind but yes, you're right.
get married in the fall. I've never gotten the point of why a fall wedding is so special. Sure, the leaves are changing and there's great color, but is the bride really going to trudge out in the woods for photos? That's assuming it is ideal weather conditions, which in the Midwest that time of the year is sketchy anyways.
Don't get me wrong: I DO NOT want to get married on a day where Michigan plays, but I can live with having to DVR the game. Mostly because when women decide on a date, stay out of their way unless you want to walk down a fiery warpath that you won't emerge victorious from. But having a wedding on a Fall Saturday is just a sure fire way to piss a lot of your wedding guests off. Or at the very least, very disengaged wedding guests who hang out in the bar room huddled around a small TV away from everyone. Fall weddings are just not worth the headache you'll get from your guests.
Luckily, my girlfriend is a diehard UGa fan who loves her some football, so I don't think I'll have to worry too much about convincing her why a Fall wedding is a less than perfect idea.
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just so I can sit and watch a young man embark on his personal never ending journey into misery, subjugation and financial annihilation. While I enjoy Schadenfreude as much as the next person, weddings? - That's over the line man. There are two reasons for Autumn weddings: 1.) It is cooler so the groom and especially the bride sweat less, and 2.) because they know that fewer guests will likely show up due to travel, school, schedules, etc.
people schedule weddings on known football games to cut costs, just like a friday wedding.
Both are gifted excuses to miss weddings. I don't do Fri weddings, weddings on July 4, memorial day, or labor day weekends, or destinations. Being a big hunter/fisherman, i don't do fall weddings at all haha
I hate the 'me me me' attitude so pervasive in modern weddings, that everyone should bend over backwards to be there. As the stories above describe, most people would probably prefer to be doing other things and will remember being at the wedding only because of watching the game they missed.
TL;DR: weddings are largely lame and a huge waste of money
Got married on a gameday. In fairness, it was initially a bye week but when the B1G schedule changed over it became the SDSU game. It was a noon kick and everybody got to watch it (a boring game from the portions I watched), & then get ready for the wedding.
I understand above posters about MSU & OSU games though, just don't do it (there was no risk of that in September)
I spent the 07 MSU game at a wedding. Bullshit.