Sports fans and weddings.......

[kdonnel]

I attended a 4pm wedding of a cousin yesterday. Southeast sports fans are probably already shaking their heads.

I am not much of a sports fan but I know that college football is a cult for many and that was on full display at the wedding.

The sportaholics managed to hold it somewhat together for the 15 minutes of the ceremony but lost all decorum during the reception.

At every table at the reception, someone had propped up a phone so they could watch the SEC Championship game. A few even had the volume up so they could hear as well as watch.

As Georgia would score or Alabama would do something poorly people would loudly cheer, standup, and high five each other. This occurred during the first dance, while the cake was being cut, and even during the speeches.

This behavior did not occur at the wedding party tables, only the guests.

To me, the disrespect being displayed toward the recently married couple was astounding, all the the name of college football.

If you are a sports fan, would you see the behaviour displayed as wrong or acceptable?

If you are not a sports fan, would you see the behaviour displayed as wrong or acceptable?

 

[Travel60]

Years ago we attended a wedding during basketball playoffs. Reception was at a country club. At reception fully half the guests were in the bar watching tv. Even bride & groom were in there for a while.

With that in mind:

My daughter/SIL scheduled their wedding for the last Saturday before football started.

My son/DIL scheduled theirs for bye week of the school most invitees attended.

What do you expect in a culture that pays coaches (and now players) more than professors, teachers, doctors, nurses....?

 

[kdonnel]

It would have been different had the bride and groom been participating in the madness, but they were not.

A wedding should be about celebrating the couple for a few hours.

If you can’t do that, you shouldn’t come.

 

[loves to dive]

I've seen people checking scores at weddings and maybe leaving the reception room to watch something but not an whole lot of them actually watching at the tables. I will say, being a Georgia girl, living in Athens and with a whole slew of family members who went to UGA, most people in my family wouldn't even think about having a wedding during football season. On hubby's side, they go one step further and don't have wedding during hunting season.

 

[soccerdad72]

Disrupting the reception and/or ceremony is going too far. Having the game on their phones is fine, IMO, as long as they generally keep it to themselves.

Our wedding ended up falling on Game 6 of the 1997 World Series (Cleveland vs. Florida). We obviously had no idea that would have been a possibility when we scheduled the wedding nearly a year out (we're Clevelanders - we don't plan for things like playoffs ). My wife made sure that our cocktail area had the game on so people (including her Dad) could watch the game, but that area was separated from the main ballroom, so it wasn't disrupting to the reception. Of course, this is well before streaming games on your phones, so that was the only option.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Sneaking a peak at the score during the reception (not the ceremony) is acceptable, but full volume and cheering during reception traditions is not!

 

[Moliphino]

If they were going to be loud about it they should've left the room. I don't have an issue with checking the score or following along on your phone, but don't be disruptive.

 

[kdonnel]

I've seen people checking scores at weddings and maybe leaving the reception room to watch something but not an whole lot of them actually watching at the tables.

The concept has been around as long as sports have been broadcast on radio.

But what I saw Saturday was an entirely different level.

My wife, a teacher, has talked about how the kids are different now after Covid. That year and a half to two year period seems to have permanently changed kids behaviour. It would seem that adults have been impacted as well.

 

[leebee]

Yeah, no. Stay home, watch the game, save me the per-plate cost on the reception.

 

[Marrila]

The concept has been around as long as sports have been broadcast on radio.

But what I saw Saturday was an entirely different level.

My wife, a teacher, has talked about how the kids are different now after Covid. That year and a half to two year period seems to have permanently changed kids behaviour. It would seem that adults have been impacted as well.

Yea, no. It's nothing new. Was the wedding in Georgia or Alabama?
It's unfortunate no one assisted the wedding party with providing a space for those who live and breathe SEC football.
I don't agree with the poor manners, but I'd doubt the fans are going to change.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I’m a casual sports fan, though don’t follow college football. Regardless, IMO it was rude and inconsiderate to the wedding couple, their families and other guests. Have to agree with others, if the game was that important to them, they should’ve stayed home.

 

[BrianL]

It's pretty rude if you ask me. If you'd rather watch the game, then don't go. I was at a buddy of mine's wedding, and some of his (very close) family always go to a basketball game when they are in town. They left the reception early to go. Seriously? This was just a regular game too, not that it should matter if it was the championship or whatever either. Respect the wedding party.

 

[clh2]

It is easy to keep tabs on an important “to me” sporting event without being obnoxious and taking away from the occasion being celebrated.

 

[robinb]

SEC fans are intense, and intense fans are gonna cheer.

You said that EVERY table had the game on. That was the problem. If one table starts cheering, it makes it OK for other tables to start cheering and then you have a football game in the middle of the wedding.

The couple, or the venue, should have bought a clue and had a place for the rabid football fans to watch the Championship game away from the rest of the reception. Georgia has been in the SEC Championship game for the last 5 years and it's not rocket science to figure out that the guests will want to watch the game if the wedding is taking place in Georgia.

 

[kdonnel]

SEC fans are intense, and intense fans are gonna cheer.

You said that EVERY table had the game on. That was the problem. If one table starts cheering, it makes it OK for other tables to start cheering and then you have a football game in the middle of the wedding.

The couple, or the venue, should have bought a clue and had a place for the rabid football fans to watch the Championship game away from the rest of the reception. Georgia has been in the SEC Championship game for the last 5 years and it's not rocket science to figure out that the guests will want to watch the game if the wedding is taking place in Georgia.

The wedding was about the couple, not about SEC football.

The couple should not have had to provide a place for the guest to watch the game. The guests should have made the decision to either be guests and attend the wedding or not not be guests and stay away.

To me, your post comes off like you are blaming the bride and groom for the actions of the guests. You are making the guests out to be the victims when in fact the bride and groom are the victims.

 

[nancipants]

And people say that Disney adults are weird.

 

[robinb]

The wedding was about the couple, not about SEC football.

The couple should not have had to provide a place for the guest to watch the game. The guests should have made the decision to either be guests and attend the wedding or not not be guests and stay away.

To me, your post comes off like you are blaming the bride and groom for the actions of the guests. You are making the guests out to be the victims when in fact the bride and groom are the victims.

I'm blaming the bride and groom AND their venue for being somehow clueless that the SEC Championship game was being played at the same time of their wedding in GEORGIA. If one or two guests were watching the game, that's one thing and I would agree that it would be rude to sit in the corner glued to their phones. But, the fact that EVERY table had the game on shows a systematic failure on the part of the wedding party and not the guests. All the guests were doing the same thing (as expected, if they had half a clue) and everyone would have been happier if the football fans were given a place to watch the game away from the non-football guests and wedding party. I guarantee you that the football guests would have filtered in and out participating more v/s being glued to their phone in the reception hall.

FWIW, the match-up wasn't decided until after people RSVP'd. Would you expect the football fans to say "no" in just case Georgia was in the Championship? Or, would you rather they stay home after the wedding couple paid for their plates?

 

[Smugpugmug]

Yeah, this is cringe and embarrassing to me. I would want anyone to stay home and not attend my wedding if they were going to do this.

 

[Christine]

That's awful. If they felt that strongly, they should not have attended. I get that when the RSVPs went in, they likely didn't know their favorite team would be playing at the same time. But, my god, be an adult.

 

[jimmymc]

I was OK with it until they started playing the game with volume and cheering out loud. Sports are important to a lot of people, which is why they generally advise against having your wedding on a gameday in the south. But if you show up, you need to behave while you're there.