Baseball Offseason Weddings: The Race Against Time for Major Leaguers and Their Partners

For major leaguers, marriage planning is often as competitive as the season itself. As the baseball offseason rolls in, players and their significant others find themselves in a race against time—not just for wedding venues, but to secure dates that won’t conflict with the busy lives of their teammates. Take the case of Royals pitcher Alec Marsh and his fiancée Makenna Harper. After Marsh proposed in mid-November 2023, the couple faced an urgent dilemma: locking down a wedding date. With the traditional wedding season for baseball players confined to November and December, their options were already limited by the time they started looking. As Harper noted, “You are fighting for (wedding) days. It’s almost like you get engaged and have to announce to the baseball world immediately what day you’re getting married.” The urgency is compounded by the statistics from wedding planning website The Knot, which shows that only 11 percent of weddings occur between December and February, with the fall being the most popular season. For baseball players, however, the offseason is a prime time for engagements and weddings, creating a unique cycle that often leaves couples grappling with scheduling conflicts. This year, for example, Marsh and Harper had to adjust their plans when Marsh’s teammate Bobby Witt Jr. announced his engagement to Maggie Black, coincidentally booking the same date for their wedding. Fortunately, Black was able to secure a venue for the following weekend, allowing both couples to celebrate without forcing teammates to make tough choices. These challenges are not unique to Marsh and Harper; they are part of a larger trend among baseball couples. As the New York Mets’ pitcher Sean Manaea and his fiancée Talat Mirmalek discovered, planning around the postseason can be particularly fraught. After Manaea proposed on New Year’s Eve, the couple quickly ruled out the first weekend in November—traditionally busy for baseball—with the hope of avoiding any potential "jinx" that might come with scheduling wedding festivities during critical playoff games. The unpredictability of the baseball season means that wedding plans often pivot on the performance of the players’ teams. For instance, Justin Verlander’s wedding to model Kate Upton almost coincided with a pivotal Game 7 of the World Series in 2017, forcing him to rush from wedding festivities to join the team’s championship celebrations. Such stories are ever-present in the minds of players and their partners as they plan their special days. While some couples prepare for their nuptials with excitement, others turn to elopement as a more manageable alternative. Karra McKinstry and her husband Zach, a Detroit Tigers player, were among those who chose a courthouse wedding during the All-Star break, later celebrating with a larger party. As Karra aptly described, “You have such a small window to get married.” In an environment where engagements and weddings seem to pop up daily on social media, the camaraderie amongst baseball couples is palpable. With many players attending multiple weddings within a matter of weeks, the shared experience fosters a unique community. Yet, even friendships can lead to awkward overlaps, as seen when Brewers teammates Tobias Meyers and Bryan Hudson unknowingly scheduled their weddings on the same day, leading to a light-hearted acceptance rather than hard feelings. Ultimately, the baseball wedding season reflects not just the personal milestones of players but also the intricate dance of sport, timing, and community that defines their lives. As the offseason continues, and with it the rush to celebrate love, one thing is certain: these couples navigate the complexities of marriage planning with a spirit that mirrors their athletic pursuits—strategic, dedicated, and filled with a sense of teamwork.