Couples married on Friday the 13th get jump on Valentine's

The only reservation groom Keiron Stewart had about getting married on Friday the 13th was for a honeymoon suite at the Sybaris.

The 26-year-old Hanover Park resident married his new bride, Elizabeth, 31, in a St. Charles courtroom ceremony Friday instead of on Valentine's Day.

"We wanted to do everything on the 14th, but we couldn't because the courthouse was closed," the groom says. "So we had to do the 13th."

When friends and family found out the 13th in question was a superstition-ladened Friday the 13th, they questioned the decision.

"They were like, 'Oh, my God. The 13th? Are you sure?'" Elizabeth Stewart recalled. "Yeah, we're sure. We've been together for four years, and it's been good so far."

Besides, if she were the superstitious type who had a fear of "unlucky" numbers, she probably wouldn't have a phone number with the prefix 6-6-6.

Dozens of couples throughout the suburbs tied the knot on a date known for being unlucky.

"It's a great day to be married," said Kane County Associate Judge Leonard J. Wojtecki, as he wedded a handful of couples Friday. Even with the squawking of crying babies and whining of reluctant ring-bearers, Wojtecki noted that officiating weddings was more enjoyable than dealing with the angry participants in Friday the 13th criminal cases.

A research team at Brides.com made the surprising discovery that more couples registered in their database got married on Feb. 13 than they did on the previous Friday.

Maybe the proximity to Valentine's Day inflated the figures, because generally "a supposedly unlucky date" such as Friday the 13th can be a "deterrent," said Michelle Preli, editor-in-chief of Brides.com.

More brides are getting married next Friday than on the 13th, according to Brides.com. The other two Friday the 13ths this year (in March and November) have fewer weddings scheduled than the Fridays the weeks before and after. In 2008, the only Friday the 13th came in June, and far fewer weddings took place on that day than did on the other Fridays in June, researchers found.

The date is irrelevant for many brides and grooms.

"There are so many different traditions and so many backgrounds, Friday the 13th doesn't mean the same to everybody," said photographer Timothy Whaley, whose Timothy Whaley & Associates studios in Lisle/Naperville, Schaumburg and Chicago were shooting at least one wedding on Friday the 13th.

He suspects the setting is more important than the date.

"It probably comes down to availability. If a couple really wants to get into a certain venue, some of these venues, that could be the only opening they have for 24 months," Whaley said.

"We see everything," the photographer added. "People get married on 9-11. They get married on Friday the 13th. They get married on Oct. 31. You'd be amazed."

Bride Stephanie Ramirez, 25, of St. Charles, said she just wanted to marry Jonathan Porter "on the day before Valentine's Day."

"And I just wanted to prove to everybody how much good luck you can have on that day," said Porter, also 25 and from St. Charles.

Mother-of-the-groom Patricia Porter said her new daughter-in-law made a wise marital choice by opting for that Friday the 13th wedding day.

"You get two presents now," Porter told her. "Valentine's Day and your anniversary."