When is it the Right Time to Plan a Wedding around a Sports Fan?
Recently, I went on vacation to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The trip consisted of going back home for two of my best friends’ weddings. The first wedding was on Saturday, June 5th, and the second was on Friday, June 11th. 
Accompanying me on this trip was my beautiful girlfriend, Sarah. She has put up with my love of sports now for 2 wonderful years. While on our flight to Pittsburgh, we got into the discussion of when the perfect time of year for a wedding is. However, for every month that she would recommend, I would come up with some major sporting event as a reason to postpone. She then asked the question, “Well, when is the perfect month to have a wedding around sports?”
Ladies, I am here to answer this age old question so that when planning your wedding, you will not have to worry about your husband wanting to know the score instead of wanting to get to know your Uncle Tim. I will break the year down based on 3 categories: the “he will not even know you are around”, the “he will pay attention but not full attention”, and the “finally you will have his undivided attention” months.
In the “he will not even know you are around” months, his focus will remain solely on the football season. Ladies, this means you are contending with college football and the National Football League. From the months of September through February, his attention span is either on his favorite college or NFL team. September starts their season, which runs through December. Then, if their team is successful in the regular season, they will be paying attention to their Bowl Game (college) or the playoffs in January followed by the Super Bowl in February (NFL). Additionally in these months, the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association are starting their seasons. Major League Baseball is also playing their playoffs during this timeframe followed by their World Series.
Pretty much, if you are okay with your husband on Skype for the wedding just so they will not have to miss any games, then plan a wedding in these months. But, if you want a husband who will be there for the wedding, then stay far, far, far away from these months.
The “he will pay attention, but not full attention” months, are from March through June. Here your sports fanatic fiancée will have his football season over with. However, in March the biggest tournament in sports is played, which is the NCAA Tournament. For over three weeks you will see him pay attention to schools he could not even locate on a map, and cheer for them like he got his degree from there.
After the tournament there is the start of Major League Baseball season in April. However, after Opening Day, unless he is a hardcore baseball fan he will not pay to much attention since there are 162 total games in the season. However, if he is a golf fan, then good luck getting him to listen to you for one weekend in April, because of the biggest golf tournament of the year, the Masters. The Masters, only from Thursday through Sunday will still captivate even the ladies, since, maybe you can get some floral or color ideas from the flowers from the course.
For the NBA, or NHL fan in your house, April through June is playoff months. Every game in these Best-of- 7 series is life or death to these fans. Traditionally, players in these playoffs will grow what is called “playoff beards”. This is when players, and sometimes fans (aka your fiancée), will not shave while their team is still playing. If this happens then your fiancées’ team plays until June, which is 3 months of no shaving. Would you want to take wedding pictures after that? Yeah, I thought not. His team loses early in these playoffs in April, then you are in the clear for May through June for full Wedding day attention.
Finally, the “you have his un-divided attention all the way” months, are July and August. Yup, two moths, that’s all you get. These two months are a dead time for sports fans. The NFL, NHL, and NBA seasons are over. Golf has just one big tournament, The British Open. And MLB is in the middle of their marathon season. Here in these two months he cannot get away with the saying, “but the big game is on”. No, the MLB All-Star game is not a big game. Watching summer camps of their favorite football team is not an excuse either. Heck, even the NBA or NHL draft is not a viable excuse for getting out of wedding duties.
So there you have it ladies. There is your guide of when the perfect time is to get married. Use it to your advantage to get the most out of your fiancée. It is a shame that you only have a 2 month window to choose from, but, at least these 2 months have the most days in it (31). I’m sure that I have shot myself in the foot as Sarah will probably use this column against me someday.
By T.J. McAloon
Photo by T.J. McAloon
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