When you hear the term “wedding season,” what comes to mind? Probably blooming bright flowers and beautiful brides frolicking in the fall leaves, right? That may be the case for most, but when it comes to professional golfers our idea of wedding season looks a little different.
The nature of our sport leaves a small gap of time to squeeze in all the nuptials that come with marriage. Our season begins at the end of winter and concludes in the middle of fall. Therefore, finding a time to plan the perfect day to say, “I do,” amid a busy travel season isn’t the easiest task. That’s why many times we leave it to the holiday season to create some married magic. In the last year in all stages of professional golf, we’ve seen this “winter wedding season” in full effect.
On the women’s side, this year Lydia Ko, Emma Talley, Jaye Marie Green, Jasmine Suwannapura, Caroline Masson, Kelly Tan and Kaitlyn Pap all were married in the winter months.
The latest newlyweds on the PGA Tour are Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris and J.T. Poston.
I’ve paid particular attention to the off-season weddings because I was a winter bride too! My husband and I recently got married on December 17th. It was truly a Christmas dream come true.
For me, it was also about the free time before and after the wedding. The timing is better for the wedding festivities. Your friends in the industry can make the trip without having to rearrange their schedules. The holidays bring a separate spirit that the spring or summer don’t offer. The bride and groom can focus on their walk down the aisle instead of walking up to the eighteenth green. Those were many of the reasons I decided to have a winter wedding.
However, I’ve come to find out some of the greatest gifts of getting married in the colder months have been the moments following the wedding. My husband and I got to go on a winter wonderland honeymoon in Northern Italy. That may sound different than getting sunburnt on some beach, but as a golfer I’m always in the sun. It was refreshing and magical to experience something else.
Since returning from the honeymoon we’ve had time to adjust to life as a married couple. I’m not packing my bags and hopping on the next plane. Instead we’ve been able to live our daily lives together and learn how to be each other’s best teammates before the season begins. I imagine many of the other couples married in these winter months feel the same way. With such a touch and go lifestyle, being home to embrace this special time makes the start of married life all the more special.
You may see different last names on the leaderboard this year. Perhaps the joy and happiness of being a newlywed will transcend to the golf course. After all, we have someone new to celebrate with on the eighteenth green - our teammates for life.
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