For the rest of their lives, a Franklin couple will be reminded of their wedding each time the Indianapolis Colts play a home game.
They’ll also recall the surprising ease with which they were able to be married in a building far more famous for Andrew Luck touchdown passes.
John Andrews and Samantha Scott have been engaged since Feb. 1, 2014, and will be married Saturday on the 50-yard line of Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m.
Andrews and Scott are ardent Colts fans, which made them curious whether the stadium’s vast interior would be available for their nuptials.
“It was my idea originally. I’m a season ticket holder who eats, breathes and lives the Colts. I brought it up to (Samantha), and she was on board immediately,” said Andrews, 29, a graduate of Franklin Community High School and Franklin College.
“I called up there to the stadium in March or April of last year, and they went over the different options of where we could get married. I said, ‘How about on the field?’ and they said, ‘Absolutely.’”
Andrews met Scott, 28, when both worked at a dog day care in Indianapolis; he is now employed as a research specialist for Chase Bank, while Scott works at Franklin Animal Clinic.
Scott said she didn’t roll her eyes when her fiance first mentioned the possibility of a Colts wedding.
“I was excited about it. We’re both pretty big Colts fans, so it’s exciting to be married where they actually play,” she said.
Lucas Oil Stadium had an opening for May 30 but had the right to cancel up to six months before the wedding should an event such as a concert or some other big-money event be scheduled.
This meant the couple held their collective breath until Nov. 30, 2014.
During the 2014 calendar year the stadium hosted two weddings, one wedding reception and a proposal. Word must be spreading, however. The stadium will host two weddings in May, one in June and two more in July.
The florist hired to work the Andrews-Scott wedding is allowed to decorate the area where the ceremony takes place. Another option was to have the proceedings shown on the Lucas Oil Stadium big screens, but the couple declined.
Prenuptial strategy is as follows:
Both wedding parties will dress in stadium meeting rooms located a good distance apart to lessen the chance of the bride and groom seeing one another beforehand.
Andrews, his best man and brother, David Andrews, along with four groomsmen, will enter the field of play through the southeastern tunnel (neighboring the Colts tunnel at the southwestern end) wearing navy blue suits.
Shortly thereafter, Scott, her maid of honor, Elise Ramey, and four bridesmaids will enter from the northeast tunnel (across from the visiting team’s tunnel). Scott will be wearing a champagne-colored wedding dress, the others pink dresses.
Standing on the massive Colts helmet logo, those in the actual ceremony will face the south end zone as Andrews and Scott exchange their “I do’s.”
Scott said the cost of having a wedding where the likes of Luck and Robert Mathis roam is about $12,500. This includes catering and use of the spacious Quarterback Suite at the south end of the stadium.
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Lucas Oil Stadium weddings
With weddings inside Lucas Oil Stadium slowly becoming a trendy option, here are some interesting facts:
- Weddings hosted in 2014: Two (along with one reception and a proposal)
- Wedding-related events from now until July 24: Six (two weddings, three receptions, one rehearsal dinner).
- Where else within the stadium a wedding can take place: Lucas Oil Plaza, Quarterback Suite, East or West Club Lounge.
- What is the cost to be married in the stadium? Depends on the space a couple wants for the ceremony and if you want the reception at the stadium as well. The costs range from as low as $500 to as high as $25,000.
- What is the cost to have the reception at Lucas Oil Stadium with stadium catering? The lowest cost is estimated at $6,000, and the sky is the limit.
- What parts of the building are considered off-limits for such events: Colts locker room.
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