Almost 100,000 England fans will miss out on Euros final as they'll be attending weddings
- The Office of National Statistics says 1,217 weddings fall on July 18 each year
- READ MORE: Hilarious video shows wedding guests ignoring nuptial celebrations to watch England's thrilling Euros clash against Switzerland
Almost 100,000 England fans are set to miss the Euro 2024 final against Spain this Sunday because they'll be attending weddings.
The final, set for July 14, will see the Three Lions take on Spain in Berlin, with hopes high for a historic win after their narrowly missing out on bringing it home in 2021.
While many supporters are gearing up to cheer on England from pubs or the comfort of their homes, an estimated 100,000 fans will miss the action due to wedding commitments.
This surprising figure comes from a detailed study by football betting and news site, Footy Accumulators, which analysed 20 years of wedding data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The study examined wedding dates from 1999 to 2019 to identify which England matches wedding guests are most likely to miss.
A whopping 100,000 England fans are set to miss the Euro 2024 final against Spain this Sunday because of a wedding clash (stock image)
The final, set for July 14, will see the Three Lions take on Spain in Berlin , with hopes high for a historic win after their narrow defeat to Italy in 2021 (stock image)
The findings highlighted that the final on Sunday, July 14, is the most probable clash.
Historically, 24,350 weddings have taken place on this date over the past two decades, averaging 1,217 weddings each year.
Given the average UK wedding hosts around 80 guests, this results in approximately 97,360 fans who will face the tough choice between celebrating nuptials and supporting England in a crucial match.
Commenting on the study, Alex Beecham, Managing Director of Footy Accumulators said: 'Many football fans might say the best day of their life would be seeing their club or country winning major silverware, while others may say their wedding day.'
He added: 'Unfortunately, thousands of England fans may not have a choice as plans coincide and many end up double-booked.'
With so much at stake, the coming Sunday promises to be memorable for both brides and grooms, and football supporters alike - though many will no doubt find themselves sneakily checking scores between wedding speeches and dances.
It coms as a hilarious video taken at a wedding shows the guests ignoring the nuptial celebrations to watch England's thrilling clash against Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-final last week.
The video was posted to X, formerly Twitter, by Gary Stafford (@staffordgary) with a caption that reads: 'At a wedding when the football is on cmon England'.
It begins by showing a handful of guests gathered outside chatting in the sun
It begins by showing a handful of guests gathered outside chatting in the sun, before panning to reveal the rest of the attendees sat at their tables or huddled around a projector broadcasting the quarter final game.
In true British fashion, the majority of the party have decided that the England game is more deserving of their attention than the wedding celebrations.
In early June, when the Euros kicked off, brides from across the country squirmed at the thought of their guests, and more importantly their partners, prioritising football over their nuptials.
One such bride was Lauren Singer who got married to an avid football fan on the day of England's opening match against Serbia on June 16 and was 'fuming' about the clash.
'It's the England game featuring my wedding,' the 31-year-old told Metro.co.uk. 'It's cost us £19,000… I wouldn't care if it was any other game because my guests wouldn't be so fussed about it, but it's England.'
I'm getting married when England play in the Euros: Meet the unlucky brides whose weddings are clashing with Three Lions games
All guests know not to wear white to a wedding - as to not upstage the bride.
But as England don their white strip to play at the Euros, hundreds of brides squirm at the thought of their guests, and more importantly their partners, prioritising football over their nuptials.
One such bride is Lauren Singer who is getting married to an avid football fan on the day of England's opening match against Serbia on June 16 and is 'fuming' about the clash.
'It's the England game featuring my wedding,' the 31-year-old told Metro.co.uk. 'It's cost us £19,000… I wouldn't care if it was any other game because my guests wouldn't be so fussed about it, but it's England.'
Lauren, who works as a carer and school worker in Welwyn Garden City, met her fiancé Danny Yousef on dating app Bumble in 2019.
Lauren Singer (right) met her fiancé Danny Yousef (left) on dating app Bumble in 2019
England pose for a team photo ahead of an international friendly against Iceland on June 7
Lauren's friends convinced her to try online dating to 'meet them man of her dreams' and Danny was the first person she matched with.
After an idyllic three years of dating, Danny proposed to Lauren at Brockett Hall in Wellington - where the couple went on their first date.
The loved-up pair chose their wedding venue - The View golf course in Welwyn - well ahead of their big day.
But now the venue has said it will be hosting their reception on one side of the club while football fans watch England play in the room next door.
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Lauren explains: 'I knew our wedding was around the Euros because for my partner's stag do they wanted to go to Germany a couple of days before the wedding. I said absolutely not, because if you miss a flight or something happens, there's not enough time to sort it out.
'My partner lives and breathes football. He supports Manchester United but he will watch every single football game regardless of the teams.
'So when the draw was happening, I thought I actually need to sit down for this and watch it. He said "Oh my God, England's playing on our wedding day".
Lauren's worst nightmare? She said: 'Walking down the aisle of that church – all of his side being on their phones because they're fans.
'With the game being in the evening it's so frustrating, because the evening part is the fun part where everyone dances, but I know that come 8pm my partner is going to be watching the clock thinking, "when can I sneak off to go upstairs and have a quick look?"
'I am dreading it because we've spent a lot of money on this wedding and I don't want to be walking around wondering "where's Danny?", because I know he's excited for our wedding.'
Cheeky football fanatic Danny has already asked Lauren if the game could be shown on the DJ's TV and if her son, aged five, could change into his England kit after the ceremony.
The bride-to-be said: 'Part of me wishes that we would have just gone to abroad and chosen a country with a really bad time difference. But hey, there's nothing I can do about it now.
'I've just got to maybe handcuff Danny to me.'
Danny (left) has already asked Lauren (right) if the game could be shown on the DJ's TV and if her son, aged five, could change into his England kit after the ceremony
The loved-up pair chose their wedding date with their reception to take place at The View golf course in Welwyn
Julie Hobbs will be getting married to fiancé Steve Goffin on June 20 - the day that England plays Denmark.
The 55-year-old duty manager is more worried about what her son will do in his speech than her husband-to-be.
She told Metro: 'We were sat there watching the draw and I kept saying "not the 20th", then they announced the 20th and I thought that's just typical.
'We're all football supporters. So as long as he mentions the score and moves on quickly, it'll be fine.
The bride has accepted that she cannot control her guests if they want to watch the game during the wedding.
She said: 'If they're going to do that they're going to do it; there's nothing I can do to stop them. Getting upset isn't really going to change the situation.
'I'm hoping everyone will be present and turn up, although, with phones nowadays, they'll probably all be looking at the game under the table.
'If anyone suddenly shouts out, we'll know they've got their phone on when they shouldn't.'
Julie Hobbs (left) will be getting married to fiancé Steve Goffin (right) on June 20 - the day that England plays Denmark
Julie(left) has accepted that she cannot control her guests if they watch the game during the wedding
Alice Teal is one of the lucky ones - due to be married to her partner of seven years, James, on June 15 and narrowly avoiding the England Euros fixture.
The happy couple met at Winchester University and got engaged a year ago when James proposed on a hike in Madeira at the top of the mountain.
The bride-to-be breathed a sigh of relief when she realised her big day would be unaffected by England's matches.
Alice admits that she would have considered bringing large TVs into her venue for the benefit of her football crazed friends and family, although it would have been an 'expensive logistical nightmare'.
But the bride told Metro that she avoided an even bigger nightmare - a dry bar.
She explains: 'The company doing our wedding bar own a pub locally, they are family run and most of their staff will be helping us on the day.
'It would have been difficult for them to cover both locations. They don't usually do weddings but are doing us a favour.'
Alice Teal is one of the lucky ones - due to be married to her partner of seven years, James, on June 15 and narrowly avoiding the England Euros fixture
The bride-to-be breathed a sigh of relief when she realised her big day would be unaffected by England's matches
Left winger Anthony Gordon arrives at Erfurt Airport on June 10 - days ahead of the Euros
Gareth Southgate and his selected squad arrived in Germany on June 10.
The star footballers were captured walking down the airplane stairs, hoping to fly back as Euro champions.
But as you cheer on England, spare a thought for the brides walking down the aisle at the same time, hoping to get married to their partners rather than the beautiful game.
