Sports Themed Weddings

Wow, what a wedding! As many of you who follow our site know, on July 25, 2009 I married Crystal Bolos in a small ceremony in Shelby Township, Michigan. It was an incredible wedding weekend accented by a very, Quest for 31 friendly, NFL football-themed wedding. After our engagement in December, during an Arizona Cardinals game at University of Phoenix Stadium, it only seemed fitting to incorporate a football theme. And it was actually Crystal's idea to do a sports themed wedding.

The planning stages began as the new year opened in January. So we scoured the internet for ideas and resources and surprising found very little. Since resources on the web for sports themed weddings were so scarce, we decided that we would try to be the sports themed wedding resource that others might look to. So if you've looking to plan a sports themed wedding, look out for www.sportsthemedweddings.com.

Anyway, in an effort to split up the larger tasks between us, Crystal took on the task of decorations and centerpieces and I took to the wedding invitation and program design. I had, in my back pocket, the uber-talented and exceptionally brilliant, Jeff Ross of Jeff Ross Graphics to assist me in coming up with a thematic graphical presentation worthy of such an undertaking. Jeff has been a long time friend of mine and the two of us seemed to work extremely well creatively so we set to the task of designing a football themed invitation and a Wedding Day Football-themed program as well. The invitation took on the guise of an NFL ticket, complete with a picture of myself and Crystal on one of our many adventures. With the invite, we included a season ticket holder letter, a detachable RSVP tag and a schedule of events for the wedding weekend. After several iterations, the final design was approved and released for printing. The next task for Jeffrey and myself was to tackle the Wedding Program. We decided early on that the program would be a fully encompassing program providing information for our guests throughout the wedding day, rather than just a publication for the ceremony. We also decided that it would look exactly like an NFL gameday program complete with logos, starting lineups, and team depth charts. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were photographed in NFL jerseys and the NFL program theme was unified with a series of graphics and backgrounds that tied all the wedding day information into a unique, limited edition publication. We posted the order of service, explanations of some of the cultural aspects of the ceremony, and directions to the reception hall and after party. It was all flawlessly packaged into an exceptional brochure, certainly the envy of any professional NFL club.

Not to be outdone herself, Crystal took to the preparation of some very impressive looking football-themed centerpieces for the reception. Taking the sport of football and incorporating it into an acceptable centerpiece is a daunting challenge, but Crystal took to it with an inspired dedication. Although we were to incorporate a sport into the table centerpieces for our wedding reception, Crystal insisted that the centerpieces take on a subtle elegance, so as not to invoke a backyard hillbilly vibe. Taking a glass vase, she added a floral arrangement which then anchored a full-sized NFL Football at its center. The entire piece then rested on a square mat of astro turf flanked by two candy-filled yellow penalty flags ... a masterpiece, in my humblest of opinions. Under Crystal's guidance, two sets of PVC goalposts were erected and a white card box which I insisted had to have a Buffalo Bills logo on it was fabricated to hold our cards. The final piece was a full sized banner hosting our "HC" logo and the date of the wedding. This was created by my friend Lana Hernandez, who did a masterful job creating the final accent that seemed to bring the room together.

The Wedding day went off without a hitch. Although the threat of rain loomed throughout the week, after a mild shower in the morning, the skies opened up and we were blessed with a fantastic day. The ceremony itself incorporated some accents of cultural significance as the Filipino Veil and Cord ceremonies were added in tribute of my Filipino heritage. The ceremony was brief, but very nice and it took place in a quaint little chapel that was fairly picturesque.

After the ceremony, the wedding party boarded our limo bound for Ford Field for an all access photo session. Ford Field is the home of the Detroit Lions and one of the more modern stadium facilities in the National Football League. I had made arrangements with the powers that be at the stadium to have our wedding photos taken out on the field, in the Detroit Lions locker rooms, and throughout the facility. Our hour long photo shoot was brief, but we covered a lot of ground and came away with some exceptional shots. The Ford Field staff was also more than accommodating and happy to indulge us in any of the ridiculous ideas we had for photos. With an entire facility at my disposal, the football fan within became rather anxious as ideas began to flow ... football helmets here, Quest for 31 flag there, bridal party on the fifty yard line ... we took reams of photos. Then onto the Reception.

We actually arrived about an hour late to the reception. Our family and friends had already gathered and were ready to kick off the traditional festivities. All in all is was a great day and we couldn't have asked for more. Our wedding cake was a three tiered custom creation with two football fields and a stadium topper and everyone seemed to have a good time. Each of the centerpieces disappeared and I remember signing several footballs throughout the night. that was pretty cool. Anyway, hope you enjoy the photos and feel free to drop us a line with any questions you might have.