They said ‘I do’ at a Cleveland Browns tailgate
The bride wore white.
The groom wore brown.
After the obligatory “I do’s” at the wedding ceremony under a beer tent in a tailgate lot in the shadow of FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, the sea of brown-and-orange clad friends and relatives let out a collective “woof, woof.”
The couple from Cuyahoga Falls in northeast Ohio served typical tailgate fare of sausage and peppers and onions, along with brown and orange cupcakes mixed in with an adult beverage or two, at the reception before heading off to their honeymoon inside Cleveland Browns stadium to cheer on their beloved team’s first appearance in prime time in 11 years last Sunday night.
It was only fitting that Jason and Sarah Wigley pledged their love for one another in the so-called “Pit” parking lot. That’s where the couple first forged a friendship that led to nuptials some 12 years later.
Derek Kirschner, a friend of the couple and a tailgate regular, served as the minister, with the powers invested in him by getordained.com and a $40 fee.
Kirschner said this is his first time officiating at a wedding but he was in a wedding band for years so he’s “gone through this more than 100 times.”
Sarah, who works for the Summit County Fiscal Office, said she never attended a Browns tailgate party before she met Jason but hasn’t missed one since.
She said with a laugh that she knew he was a keeper when he showed up at their first date in a panic that he had to change his shirt because he spilled chili dog sauce down the front of it at lunch.
“I knew from our first date that he was the one,” she said.
Jason, who works for Heidelberg Distributing, said the whole idea of a tailgate wedding started as a joke and quickly became a reality in less than 25 days.
“This is where we spend our Sundays so this is where we want to be,” he said. “Our real honeymoon will be if the Browns make it to the playoffs.”
Father of the bride Greg Smith of Norton wore an orange T-shirt that proclaimed “I loved her first.”
Smith said the tailgate theme was pretty thorough right down to the special label “Jason & Sarah” Thirsty Dog beer served to guests.
“I’m happy if they’re happy,” he said. “This is their special day.”
TNS
