There are ridiculously expensive weddings, weddings underwater or in the sky, weddings with themes ranging from ‘Night of the Living Dead’ to clowns, but seldom does the big day come together perfectly, with all the bells and whistles sounding at just the right time, and with juuuust enough drama to make it fun.
That said, and at the risk of tempting fate, I declare this weekend’s wedding between Lake Highlands residents (pictured) Sarah Yates and Sam Welsh an anomaly — a baseball-themed wedding set in the midst of a Rangers-Cardinals World Series, enhanced by the fact that both bride and groom and the entire family (Yates’ sister, incidentally, is Advocate editor Rachel Stone, hence my intimate knowledge of the subject) are years-long, die-hard Rangers fan.
Well, there is one little issue with the father of the bride, Bob Yates (deputy managing editor at the Morning News); His “lifelong hero”, says Rachel, is Cardinals great Stan Musial, and much of the Yates family hails from the St. Louis area.
“When [our dad] was a kid growing up in south St. Louis, they used to go knock on Musial’s door before day games and ask if Mr. Musial wanted to come out and play catch. At a party years ago, I asked him why ‘Stan the Man’ was so great, and he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his wallet — Musial’s career stats.”
Sarah and Sam (a former Texas A&M baseball player), following their nuptials, will sit at the main table — The Ballpark at Arlington. Extended family and friends will sit at nearby tables, Busch Stadium or Camden Yards. No Wrigley Field, Rachel says, because for the Cards fans, that would just be too cruel. To find their table, guests will have to go to “will call” and get a “ticket”.
The bride and her sister aren’t sure who dad is rooting for in the series.
“Since we’ve lived in Texas for 24 years now, we’re all big Rangers fans. I honestly don’t know how my dad is leaning on this one, but I am going for the Rangers, of course. I think he probably is too, since a Rangers win would be good for business at the News.”
