Janet and Scott Wilson knew that some of their relatives would call them crazy and roll their eyes. But they didn’t care. They had each been married once before, and neither of them was interested in having another traditional wedding. They wanted the day to be more laid back, more personal. A 35-year-old office manager who grew up watching the New England Patriots with her mother and two sisters, Janet came up with the idea. She woke up one morning, took one look at the life-size cutout of Tom Brady in the corner of their bedroom, and she knew. “I told Scott, Let’s have a Patriots theme at the wedding,'” she said.
A Patriots fan before he knew the difference between a touchdown and a first down, Scott couldn’t think of anything more suitable.
Instead of topping their cake with a plastic bride and groom, they found two miniature helmets.
Instead of wearing a frilly dress and carrying a basket of rose petals, their flower girl wore her Adam Vinatieri jersey and walked down the aisle with a Patriots teddy bear.
Instead of tossing a bouquet of flowers to the single, female guests, Janet threw a football while the theme song for Monday night football blared from the speakers.
“A few people told us it would be tacky, but we got over it,” Janet said.
Tattoo
Scott started watching football with his uncle when he was 7 years old. They spent Sundays at his grandmother’s house in Framingham, Mass., and the television was always on. Scott waited for his uncle to start hooting and hollering, then he quickly joined in.
“I didn’t understand the game,” he admitted, nearly three decades later. “I just knew that something exciting was happening.”
Over time, he learned the game and developed a deep devotion to his home team. In 1993, when everyone was starting to believe that the Patriots might never make it to another Super Bowl, he got the team’s logo tattooed on his arm.
Janet also learned to love the Patriots as a kid. Her older sister watched the games every Sunday. She knew every player’s name and loved to share her knowledge with her younger siblings.
When the couple started dating, Scott was nervous about telling Janet how he liked to spend his Sundays. When football season started, he mentioned he might want to watch an occasional game.
“She was like, Let’s do it,'” Scott said.
Garter belt
The couple married July 17 at the Ramada Inn in Lewiston. Scott wore a Patriots T-shirt under his outfit, and Janet’s garter belt was red, white and blue.
Aside from the few traditionalists, most of their family and friends, including their three teenage children, were thrilled to wear jerseys and jeans instead of suits, ties and fancy dresses.
The couple’s engagement photo, with Scott holding a football and both of them dressed in Ty Law jerseys, now sits on top of the big-screen television in their Patriots room.
Painted bright blue, the room is decorated with Patriots posters, pillows, lamps, action figures and old ticket stubs. It is the perfect size for their group of friends.
A Patriots mat welcomes them at the door. A Patriots blanket is draped over the couch in case they get cold. And, in anticipation of Super Bowl XXXIX, another futon has been ordered and is on its way.
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