Sport events on your wedding day...what to do?

My mum just told me that the final of the Heineken cup will be on my wedding day next year.... she only realised this because it's on this weekend and my uncle is going to a wedding and is concerned that he might miss some of the match. So, what are your opinions? I'll be honest, I'm not into sports, don't particularly like it when there's sport on tv in pubs all the time. I'll watch a rugby match in the pub if there's nothing else to do and everyone I'm with is watching it, and I've even been to a couple of matches but I really didn't picture it as being part of my wedding day. So, I know lots of the men at the wedding will want to watch it....not sure if there's a tv in the bar in our hotel and if there is I'm not sure I want it on - changes the atmosphere I think. There is a pub next door but I really don't like the idea of half the wedding disappearing to the pub. And, it's usually on at 5 so won't be over before we go in to dinner ( I think - not sure exactly what time that happens). So, am I being a bridezilla? Should I just make sure it's going to be on in the hotel and have everyone go in to dinner once it's over? Or, do I have lovely music on during my drinks reception while people mingle and drink prosecco and then go in to dinner at the usual time, possibly while the match is still on? Any of you making provisions for sporting events?

Ah crap! That never entered my head! Lets just be very selfish and hope the Irish teams don't get to the final Ah no I'm just not gonna worry about it and continue as normal!

ah that's a pain. I've been to a couple of weddings with sports events on at the same time and they were a bit messy. If it was me I'd go with your nice plans and not make special arrangements, as that in my experience just gives people an excuse to be late for dinner. I'm sure the hotel bar will be showing it so they can watch it in there and people will pop in and out. An Irish team mightn't be in the final anyway so don't panic. You could always call in a bomb scare to the venue of the final to get them to postpone it.... (just kidding! )

Like your thinking islandlil. I'm planning on having speeches at the start of dinner! Maybe I should rethink that in case people are late in??

I think there are 2 options for you winklefairy, you can either embrace it or ignore it! I know that when the OH's sister got married there was a big rugby match on - don't ask me which one, I wouldn't be a rugby fan either! But unlike us, she would have been fairly into the whole thing, as was her hubby... They actually asked their venue to set up the overhead projector in the bar off the function room to allow for everyone to watch it during the Reception drinks - the way she saw it was that if she hadn't have organised it, the rugby-heads would have slunk off to the other Lounge to watch it, and she would have lost half the wedding party!! Yeah, a lot of the wedding party were glued to the sets, but I have to say that every time there was a goal (or whatever the equivalent is in rugby??!!) the excitement nearly added to the atmosphere in the room. By the sounds of it though, it may well happen that this match on your wedding day may well be timed for during your meal, and if this is the case you will find that any rugby followers from your wedding party will just have to suck up the fact that they will miss it. (They can always get the results after, or watch the highlights!) Your guests should be honoured to have been invited to your Big Day, and you are providing them with food and entertainment for the night, so I am sure they will be courteous enough to give you both that respect... Before you start panicking perhaps check out what time these matches usually take place at, and at least that way you can perhaps work around it.

If one (or two!) of the irish teams make it and you have a load of rugby fans going, I'd embrace it. The fans (not just men!) will be delighted not to miss the match and it could really add to the atmosphere. If you ban it from the reception, people will disappear to watch it, especially if there's a pub next door, which could leave things a bit flat.

If the match is at 5 like this year it will fall right at the same time as dinner. I dont know how you would accommodate this? I definitely wouldn't like to have the match on during dinner!! And it would be very late to have dinner after?

If theres a pub next door, the rugbyheads will probably try to slink away in there to watch it - I'd do what i could to keep them as part of the party, as I'd be more worried that if they vanished in next door and the game was good, they'd miss the start of the meal. If its only going to be a handful of people going in though I wouldn't worry about it - just ask the hotel in advance to send someone in to chase them back out when the time comes!! If it falls at the same time as the dinner, maybe you could organise something with the hotel staff to provide updates, provided nothing else is going on during the meal. It could be done pretty quietly, without a megaphone or announcements so that it wouldn't interfere.. think a chalkboard in the corner with Team A | Team B that the hotel staff update each time someone scores! On the bright side... if they win ye'll have an epic buzz for the rest of the night!

[quote="CroB2B2011":1wq0ksuo] it could really add to the atmosphere. If you ban it from the reception, people will disappear to watch it.[/quote:1wq0ksuo] That pretty much sums up what I was going to say. As outsiders just looking on, we see this situation cropping up from time to time and even though I know nothing about rugby only that the ball isn’t round, I would strongly advise you to consider embracing it rather than hoping people will forget about it. Im not trying to scare you but we have seen lots of half empty ballrooms (even during the dinner) because some big match was on in the bar. We have also seen a few occasions where a match was shown on a big screen in the ballroom during the meal (usually with sound muted). Not only did this keep everybody there but even people that weren’t big into the particular type of football that was on still got into the spirit, and the atmosphere was usually fantastic. I know from what you have written that a match on a big screen during the dinner is not what you had in mind winklefairy but from an independent point of view and based on past experience, I think it is far better than the alternative. [color=#80FFFF:1wq0ksuo].[/color:1wq0ksuo]

I have the Magner's league final AND the champions league final to contend with! I am going to embrace it and have the match on in the bar for anyone who wants to watch. Magners is on at 5 and Champions is on at 7.45, so one before and one after dinner - or so I hope it works out like that... i don't really mind. I wouldn't dream of stopping anyone watching the match - if you do you'll just have a pile of grumpy men thowinga strop or sneaking off to their bedrooms to watch it - embrace it instead and let them have their football, rugby or whatever... Edited to say - I am getting married in a rugby club and the bar is right beside reception room. I could do the whole projector thing in the room (and I would if it was Ireland playing ) but as its only leinster for the rugby and man united for footie I don't think there would be enough interest to warrant the projector.