How to avoid having my wedding on a match day?

unacb · 02-07-2014 11:58AM #1

Hi all
Bride to be here - am trying to decide on a date. Looking at a Saturday in July or August 2015 and I'm trying to avoid having it the same day as a match - in particular a Mayo match or God forbid a Connaught semi or final.
I am not a fan of sports at all but obviously the dad and brothers are. I live out of the country so feel quite clueless.
I'm looking at this year's fixtures but am getting more and more confused.
The other half is English, so he's no help -I need to avoid Everton match days for his sake

Thanks in advance

TimeToShine · 02-07-2014 11:58AM

If they can't drop a match to come to your wedding they're not worth inviting in the first place.

solomafioso · 02-07-2014 11:59AM

Pick a date. Stick to it and fcek 'em if there's a match on to be honest!

They can catch the highlights.

Rightwing · 02-07-2014 12:00PM

Mayo and Everton?. Tell them spare their cash.

knird evol · 02-07-2014 12:01PM

Third Monday in September is a safe bet :pac:

unacb · 02-07-2014 12:03PM

OMG - new to this, never thought you'd all be so harsh!!

solomafioso · 02-07-2014 12:05PM

unacb wrote: »

OMG - new to this, never thought you'd all be so harsh!!

We're not asking you to delay your wedding as a result of a game! :rolleyes:

eviltwin · 02-07-2014 12:05PM

Fair play to you for thinking of your guests but you can be a bit selfish here too. You might not be able to get the dates that suit everyone in your choice of venue so you may have no option but to pick a date that clashes with a match. Tbh no matter what you do there will always be someone the date doesn't suit, that's just the way it is. As others have said its a wedding, its a one off and a whole lot bigger than a gaa match, people will make the effort and come, one day won't kill them.

Rightwing · 02-07-2014 12:09PM

unacb wrote: »

OMG - new to this, never thought you'd all be so harsh!!

We're being kind.

ProudDUB · 02-07-2014 12:10PM

Are you planning on getting married on a Sunday? Unless you are, don't worry about it.

unacb · 02-07-2014 12:14PM

ProudDUB wrote: »

Are you planning on getting married on a Sunday? Unless you are, don't worry about it.

No looking at a Saturday, but there seems to be matches on this year on Sat 12th and 19th July - Round 2a and Round 2b winners

unacb · 02-07-2014 12:15PM

Rightwing wrote: »

Mayo and Everton?. Tell them spare their cash.

Always supporting the underdog!!!

wally79 · 02-07-2014 12:19PM

Everton fixtures will only be released the June before the season so you can't really predict apart from saying most Saturdays unless SKY and BT decide to show on Sunday or Midweek on TV. They usually announce this in July.

I cant post links as I am marked as a new user but if you google "evertonfc.com fixtures and results" it should be the first link

On the Mayo one it depends on whether Mayo reach the Connaught final or have to go through the qualifiers. You'd expect them to be in the final but you never know.

This years Connaught final is on Sunday July 13th but I don't know if that's a guide to next year. All Ireland Final is on 21st September.

Best of luck

ProudDUB · 02-07-2014 12:20PM

unacb wrote: »

No looking at a Saturday, but there seems to be matches on this year on Sat 12th and 19th July - Round 2a and Round 2b winners

Don't worry about those. They are the games that the lower ranked counties have to play in to progress to the latter stages of the All Ireland championship. Barring a cataclysmic drop off in form, Mayo won't have to worry about playing in those games. Just concentrate on the Connaught final & onwards to the AI quarter final and semi final. All of them will be on a Sunday.

If it were me, I'd go for the third weekend in August. The first two weekends in August are taken up with the AI quarter finals. the last weekend will have one of the AI semi finals. Mayo will quite possibly have some involvement in at least one of those weekends, maybe two. But the third weekend always seems to be wide open.

Brianderunner · 02-07-2014 12:22PM

Funnily enough when I picked a date for mine (May 23rd 2015) I made sure it didn't clash with any big sporting event. Might sound silly but do you want half the men disappearing to the bar to watch "the match" and diluting your day, I think not.

The football quarter finals are always on the Irish bank holiday weekend in early August. The english football season starts 2 weeks later around 16th Aug, bound to be a game or 2 on Sun the 17th.

The hurling semi's are on 9th and 16th august in 2015 with the first football semi on 23rd aug and the second 30th aug. The hurling final will be on 7th sept and the football final on 21st sept.

All these dates are based on historical matches but its been the same for years.

Hope that helps

yop · 02-07-2014 12:36PM

Wouldn't overly worry about it, as they said if your friends can't drag themselves away from a match for one day then they are not your friends.
I played a cup final at 11am on the day of my wedding and got married at 2pm

We won it too

Fr Tod Umptious · 02-07-2014 12:48PM

Hi OP
Firstly congrats on the upcoming wedding.

Here is an educated guess at Mayo’s 2015 fixtures
Possible QF – The 17th May. Maybe a week later
SF – Possibly 14th June, but maybe a week later
Final – 12th or 19th July
If the win Connaught then you are looking at
All Ireland Quarter final – weekend of 1/2/3 Aug 2015 or weekend of 8/9 Aug 2015
All Ireland SF – 23 or 30 Aug.
All Ireland Final – 20th September
If they lose the Connaught QF then they could play a qualifier any weekend from 20th June to 1st August.
If they lose the Connaught SF then they could play a qualifier any weekend from 4th July to 1st August.
If they lose the Connaught Final then they could play a qualifier any weekend from 25th July to 1st August.

unacb · 02-07-2014 12:53PM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Hi OP
Firstly congrats on the upcoming wedding.

Here is an educated guess at Mayo’s 2015 fixtures
Possible QF – The 17th May. Maybe a week later
SF – Possibly 14th June, but maybe a week later
Final – 12th or 19th July
If the win Connaught then you are looking at
All Ireland Quarter final – weekend of 1/2/3 Aug 2015 or weekend of 8/9 Aug 2015
All Ireland SF – 23 or 30 Aug.
All Ireland Final – 20th September
If they lose the Connaught QF then they could play a qualifier any weekend from 20st June to 1nd August.
If they lose the Connaught SF then they could play a qualifier any weekend from 4st July to 2ndAugust.
If they lose the Connaught Final then they could play a qualifier any weekend from 25st July to 2nd August.

Thank you so much!! This confirms what I have been scribbling on scrap paper for the past hour and clears it up hugely!!!
For the first year I will actually be truly hoping they qualify immediately

So I'm left with about 3 weekends maybe! Awesome

At least I've made the effort!

ProudDUB · 02-07-2014 01:20PM

Brianderunner wrote: »

Funnily enough when I picked a date for mine (May 23rd 2015) I made sure it didn't clash with any big sporting event. Might sound silly but do you want half the men disappearing to the bar to watch "the match" and diluting your day, I think not.

I agree with this. It's very easy to say to say dismiss anyone who chooses a match over your wedding, as they are not a real friend. But you can't do that when family, as well as half the guests are involved. The problem is not them choosing to go to a match instead of the wedding. The problem is half the wedding guests staying in the bar to watch the match, when they should be at the reception/meal/speeches. I just got back from a family wedding in Spain. The bride had the bad luck to be marrying an English chap, on the day of one of Englands World Cup games. I'll let ye lot figure out what happened next.

unacb · 02-07-2014 01:28PM

ProudDUB wrote: »

I agree with this. It's very easy to say to say dismiss anyone who chooses a match over your wedding, as they are not a real friend. But you can't do that when family, as well as half the guests are involved. The problem is not them choosing to go to a match instead of the wedding. The problem is half the wedding guests staying in the bar to watch the match, when they should be at the reception/meal/speeches. I just got back from a family wedding in Spain. The bride had the bad luck to be marrying an English chap, on the day of one of Englands World Cup games. I'll let ye lot figure out what happened next.

Oh poor girl! It's just better to put in the effort thinking about it now and having a headache for an hour rather than being pi**ed off on the day.
Also I'm really not fussy about dates so as long as a non match day suits the venue all is well.
Thanks for the feedback!

RFOLEY1990 · 02-07-2014 02:56PM

could you not just lash a telly in the bar on the off chance a match clashes with the date?

nxbyveromdwjpg · 02-07-2014 09:35PM

Could you not get married at the match?

savannahkat · 02-07-2014 10:52PM

Me brother was a batchelor at breakfast, married at lunch time and a daddy at tea time all on the same day as Kilkenny played in an All Ireland Final. Bad enough and inconsiderate enough of her to have the wedding that day but then to go and have the baby. The day turned out ok though for every one, Kilkenny won.

ProudDUB · 02-07-2014 11:10PM

And you are all still speaking to this pariah? Or did she do the do the decent thing and leave the country?

unacb wrote: »

Oh poor girl! It's just better to put in the effort thinking about it now and having a headache for an hour rather than being pi**ed off on the day.
Also I'm really not fussy about dates so as long as a non match day suits the venue all is well.
Thanks for the feedback!

Yeah, it was a bit of a mess alright. I felt really bad for her. If worst comes to worse, you could always do a bit of sneaky forward planning. A couple of years ago, a friend of mine got married during on one of the big Six Nations rugby match days. Her mother had the same concerns that you do. So she and her partner in crime (the grooms mammy) went to the wives/girlfriends/mammies of all the men who they identified as likely to scarper off to watch the rugger. A quiet word was had in their ears about how worried the bride was that all the men would disappear during the meal. They all got the hint. Not a single one of the menfolk went AWOL during the meal.

All except for the groom that is. Turns out he was the only one who didn't get the memo. Any time he was needed for the champagne toast, cake cutting, etc etc, he was found off in the bar, watching the rugby. On his own. He still gets slagged about it.:D

nice_guy80 · 02-07-2014 11:33PM

get married on a Friday. Leaves the weekend to celebrate in style.

How to avoid having my wedding on a match day?

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