We had a few 7's (some intentional and some not...)
- diamonds in my engagement ring
- people in our Bridal Party
- children in the Wells family (those who brought up the gifts)
- parents and grandparents present
- 7 items for dinner (Chinese Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli with Cashews, Corn, Rolls, Wedding Cake & Beverages!)
Those who were there may have remembered it as being hot... but perhaps you didn't know that we broke the record high at 97 degrees! The low was 57 & the average was 77.
The knot.com estimated that a typical wedding weekend in July has 12,000 couples getting married, the once in a lifetime 07.07.07 found over 38,000 couple tying the knot (three times the normal amount!) Which turned out to be the biggest day ever in wedding history. Last year on July 8th, 12,226 couples walked down the isle.
In Las Vegas Wedding Chapels were opening up at 6am and extending hours to 11:59 to accommodate the mass numbers... a few resorts were hosting 77 weddings that day (3 times their normal amount.) The Clark County marriage bureau (Las Vegas) issued over 1,600 licenses on Friday (4 times the normal amount)... and people braved the 114 degree temperatures waiting in line to get hitched. The Garden of Love was scheduled to marry 400 couples, while a Little White Wedding Chapel was said to host over 500!
At many 6 flags amusement parks 7 lucky winners got married at 7am on their favorite rides (putting the total to over 100), while Wal-Mart hosted 7 couples at their local Garden Center (all expenses paid) & 77 couples got married at the Phoenix zoo...
By June, there was over 20,500 Google hits for the term"777 Wedding", and the popularity even inspired merchandise specifically for that date.
We also have the privilege of sharing an anniversary with the Brothertons (Corey was their Ring bearer 23 years ago!)
Reasons that "7" is such a lucky or popular number:
- 7 days in a week... God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th
- 7 Natural & 7 Modern Wonders of the World
- The walls of Jericho fell after 7 days
- 7-7-7 is the top slot machine jackpot
- Three 7's add up to 21 in Black Jack
- In numerology 7 is filled with mysticism & thought to be the most significant number
- 7 notes on a musical scale
- In Catholicism 7 deadly sins, 7 virtues & 7 sacraments
- In Judaism the bride circles her groom 7 times & they feast for 7 days
- In the Bible it means finalization, completion & represents a covenant
- In Hinduism the 7 chakras of the body & 7 sages in mythology
- Both the bible (507 x's) & the Torah predominately mention 7
- 7-7 is the day of the annual Lovers festival in Japan
- In Chinese 7 represents "togetherness"
- Japanese mythology has 7 Gods which personify earthly happiness
- In Islam 7 is a sacred portion, symbolized infinity & they believe in 7 levels of heaven
- Budah was said to have taken 7 sacred steps at birth
- Ancient Rome was built on 7 hills
- Explorers traveled the 7 seas
- 7 continents
- Ancient Babylonians celebrated 7 planets
- 7 is the definitive number on Cherokee cosmology
- Ancient Egyptians believed 7 symbolized eternal life
- 7 oxen pulled the sun across the earth in early Scandinavian lore
- 7 candles lit at Kwanzaa
- 7 rings were given to the Dwarf Lords in "Lord of the Rings"
- 7 colors in the rainbow
- 7 old Testament Patriarchs
- 7 requests in the Lord's Prayer
- 7 demons cast out of Mary Magdalene
- Book of Revelation refers to the 7th seal, the 7th son & seven heads of the beast
- The big dipper has 7 stars
- 7 is a sign of perfection
- Jesus said we must forgive not 7 times, but 70 times 7 times
I suppose we could have gone to Vegas & had the "Seven Ways of Wonderment" Package from the Ritz Carlton in Lake Las Vegas... it included a deluxe room, seven hours of spa treatment for two, a seven-course meal & a tour of Hoover Dam - one of the Seven Wonders - for $7,707. Or we could have gone with a Ritz Carlton "Lucky No. 7" Package in New York - for $77,777 (It included a reception for 77, a 7-tiered wedding cake, 7 Tiffany Diamonds & a 7 night Honeymoon at any Ritz Carlton in the world.) But at last I wouldn't have traded the chance to share our day with all of our family and friends. Hope this provided you with a few laughs...
I am off for now and trying to get ready for our Honeymoon departure on August 27th! Looking at our itinerary I think we will be in "seventh heaven" on a much needed vacation :)
Oh, & the price of gas that day was also very high... at $3.09.9 a gallon (sorry, no 7's).
