Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and singer Ciara originally planned on getting married in North Carolina, according to their wedding planner Mindy Weiss. The now-married couple changed the venue twice before ending up in a castle in England.
“I did the whole thing — three times,” Weiss told The Knot in an interview. “They were first getting married in North Carolina, but they called it off due to the transgender bathroom laws.”
Wilson played quarterback for North Carolina State University in Raleigh for three years before transferring to Wisconsin.
The young quarterback spoke recently about his responsibility as an athlete in relation to societal issues. “I think we all have a responsibility,” Wilson Said. “It’s not just on athletes, it’s not just on coaches, it’s not just on anybody in particular.”
“It’s on all of us,” he stated. “I think ultimately it comes down to love and appreciating one another and respect for one another.”
After North Carolina, the couple wanted to get married in Paris, but the date fell on Couture Fashion Week making scheduling difficult. The quarterback and singer finally settled for a 19th century castle about an hour outside of Liverpool in Cheshire, England.
The couple invited about 110 guests to attend their ceremony at the Peckforton Castle. They held the ceremony on the lawn in front of the castle because Ciara’s 13-foot dress was too big for the chapel.
The controversial North Carolina law mandates that people use the restroom that coincides with the gender on their birth certificate. Wilson and Ciara went through some serious effort to avoid it, but it seems that everything worked out just fine for the newlyweds.