When Royals pitcher Alec Marsh proposed to his longtime girlfriend Makenna Harper in mid-November 2023, a whirlwind of activity began. It wasn't about getting married immediately but rather securing a date. Harper and Marsh met at Arizona State University, where she played softball and he was on the baseball team. Baseball significant others know that there are only two months suitable for a baseball wedding - November and December. Securing a date is a challenge in itself, not just for venues but also to avoid conflicts with other engaged baseball couples.

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By the time they started looking, November 2024 was already filled. Harper was overjoyed when their venue in San Diego County became available on December 7. However, Marsh's teammate Bobby Witt Jr. proposed to his girlfriend Maggie Black, and they initially booked the same date. "You are fighting for (wedding) days," said Harper. "It's almost like you get engaged and have to announce to the baseball world immediately what day you're getting married."According to The Knot's survey of nearly 10,000 couples last year, only 11 percent of weddings took place between December and February. The fall is the most popular season, with 42 percent of weddings landing between September and November. Baseball weddings follow a different cycle as players typically get engaged in one offseason and rush to plan a wedding for the next."The holidays sort of take a backseat. Our offseason revolves around: What weddings are we going to and when is Alec training?" Harper said.Black and Harper, who became friends in Kansas City, quickly realized the dilemma. They wanted to attend each other's weddings and not force teammates to choose. Fortunately, Black was able to get her venue the following weekend, December 14. Harper and Marsh postponed their honeymoon until the day after the Witts' wedding so they could attend. (It was the third wedding in a four-week span for many Royals players who attended Michael Massey and Jane DeJarld's Mexico wedding on November 23.)A few players do get married in January, but it can be even more hectic once the calendar turns. Pitchers are ramping up their throwing progressions, and position players are often locked into their workouts. It's not uncommon for players to arrive at their spring training complexes later that month.Weather and travel can also be a headache, making November and the first half of December the preferred months for most baseball couples after proposing before spring training the previous year."Last year we were the last people to get engaged," said Karra McKinstry, whose husband Zach proposed in early February and is part of the Detroit Tigers team with seven engagements last offseason. "You looked on Instagram and every day it was, 'OK, who's next?'"When Justin Verlander was planning his wedding to model Kate Upton after the 2016 season, they fell in love with a medieval church in Tuscany, Italy. Verlander was a member of the rebuilding Tigers at the time, and the playoffs were a distant dream. Their November 4, 2017, date seemed safe."We decided only one thing could screw up our plans: Game 7 of the World Series," Verlander, who was traded to the Houston Astros midseason, said at the time. "Sure enough, we find ourselves in Game 7 of the World Series."The Astros prevailed, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers. Verlander missed the championship parade to catch a flight. He and Upton were late for their own wedding week festivities as some guests FaceTimed them to tease about the beautiful venue.Not everyone is as willing as Verlander to take risks. Pitcher Sean Manaea, who got engaged to Talat Mirmalek on New Year's Eve, made it clear that the first weekend in November was off-limits. And it was a good thing as the Mets clinched a playoff spot in Game 161 and went on to beat the Brewers and Phillies. The Mets ended up losing to the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. But if the Dodgers and Yankees had gone to a Game 7 this year, it would have been on November 2."That first weekend (in November) was out. Sean said it would be the biggest jinx," said Mirmalek, who instead booked a November 16 wedding in Indianapolis. The stress for Mirmalek as the Mets advanced in October wasn't about wedding details. They used a wedding planner for the 200-person affair at a venue they didn't have time to see in person, and many Mets wives offered her advice.The pre-wedding jitters came from a decision made in early October. If the Mets won the World Series, they would invite not just the whole team but the entire organization."That was really stressful, thinking about how to seat everyone. Like, would you like to come to our wedding and just stand?" Mirmalek joked. "It was a great run, but, yeah, I'm glad we didn't have to worry about that."When Jodi Fick Rizzo started planning her 2019 wedding to Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, the team was on a 19-31 start. The World Series was not on their minds. Rizzo, a baseball lifer, had long refused to RSVP to November weddings in the first two weeks. He thought it was bad luck.As the Nationals stunned the baseball world, Jodi carried a binder on the team plane, working through RSVP lists and menu options. She was able to attend her bachelorette party as the Nationals swept the Cardinals in the NL Championship Series and had a few days off for a trip to Las Vegas.The Rizzos ultimately wed on November 16, 2019, in Jamaica. The date left enough time for the Nationals to beat the Astros in Game 7 in Houston, march in a ticker-tape parade, and attend a White House celebration before flying off for a wedding where "We are the Champions" became part of the playlist."You have such a small window to get married," Jodi said. "Especially as a GM, Mike has the GM meetings and the Winter Meetings, too. I'm glad we did it that first offseason after we got engaged. It was hectic, but it was the highest of highs."And perhaps the hangover of all hangovers. As Mike told reporters in early December that year: "I've been drunk for a month."Being a guest during baseball's wedding season can be just as hectic. Sean Murphy attended Manaea's welcome party and then flew to Atlanta the next day to watch his current Braves teammate Michael Harris get married. Mirmalek said their wedding had players from different teams, with Francisco Lindor's eldest daughter serving as a flower girl.In the Marsh/Harper wedding, all six of Marsh's groomsmen are baseball players, and four are currently in the big leagues. Torkelson was part of the wave of Tigers players who got engaged last offseason and proposed to his girlfriend Makenna Mattei in January. The pair decided to postpone and plan for 2026.Even with the best planning, conflicts are sometimes unavoidable. Brewers teammates Tobias Meyers and Bryan Hudson both got married on December 14. Meyers proposed to Leah Angelillo last November while still in the minor leagues. Hudson and his fiancee Kailin Haug, who got engaged on December 28, 2023, chose the 14th because it's Haug's favorite number and fits baseball's scheduling. Neither knew of the other's plans until later in the season, and there were no hard feelings.The Angelillo/Meyers wedding in Boca Raton invited only teammates in the Florida area. The Hudson/Haug wedding was a family-focused event in Missouri."Every time I refresh my feed, someone has gotten engaged or married," Angelillo said, laughing. "I guess we will all be celebrating the same anniversaries."Eloping is becoming more popular. Karra and Zach McKinstry went to the courthouse in Detroit over the All-Star break and got married with just his parents present. They planned a party in Arizona with around 60 people on December 7.The event was planned to be low-key but still caused a lot of stress. By the time they got engaged in February and started looking at dates, there were only two left in December for their venue, one close to Christmas. They chose the other, which coincidentally was on the same day as another Tiger's wedding - Dillon Dingler.(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Photos: Michael Saab Photography; Chelsey Barhorst Photography; courtesy Karra McKinstry)