Couples not wary of Friday the 13th nuptials
Roberto M. Esquivel | Herald-Standard
Pictured are Sabrina Hudock (left) and P.J. Kumor, who will wed today, despite it being Friday the 13th.
Pictured are Sabrina Hudock (right) and P.J. Kumar who will wed today, despite it being Friday the 13th.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Mary Kay and Don Wright of Republic reminisce about their Friday the 13th wedding day.
Friday the 13th, a day that stirs up superstitious fears, is the perfect day for a wedding for one area couple.
P.J. Kumor of Belle Vernon and Sabrina Hudock of Masontown will stand before the Senior Judge Gerald R. Solomon today and exchange their vows, pledging their lives to one another.
For some, Friday the 13th conjures up irrational fears of frightening mishaps and madmen in hockey masks. The day is not an intentional choice for the pair, but a matter of working the ceremony into the judge’s schedule, who is a long-time friend of Hudock’s family.
“Sabrina and I didn’t want to wait to get married, and based on Judge Solomon’s availability, it was the only day,” said Kumor. “Fate takes a hand.”
When it comes to triskaidekaphobia, a fear of the number 13, or paraskavedekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia, fear of Friday the 13th, neither Hudock or Kumor will allow phobias to stand in the way of love.
“We have no concerns or fears because we have everyone’s blessing,” said Hudock.
According to old English folklore dating back to the 1800s, “a couple married on a Friday are doomed to a cat and dog life.” A survey on TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com found that 1,345 fewer couples got married on Friday, July 13, 2012. The website notes, “with eerie tales of bad luck, it’s no surprise that some couples are spooked by this supposedly unlucky day.”
Not everyone steers clear of Friday the 13th nuptials. In fact, some couples actually seek the day.
Donald and Mary Kay Wright of Republic were married during a small ceremony on Feb. 13, 1976, a Friday.
“I’m not superstitious at all,” said Mary Kay Wright. “I didn’t have reservations about getting married on that day. I thought it was kind of neat, really.”
Wright said she met her husband in September, they were engaged in November and then married in February.
“People did ask why I chose that date, and I said I like the number 13, we’re not superstitious, so we’re doing it.”
After 37 years, Wright said, a Friday the 13th wedding anniversary has not had a negative impact.
“My husband and I both feel quite lucky. We have wonderful children and grandchildren — we think of it as the opposite,” she said.
Like avoiding black cats and ladders, some couples are steering clear of 2013 altogether.
Amanda Voithofer, manager of the Historic Summit Inn in Farmington, said the wedding and reception numbers were down slightly in 2013. Based on preliminary numbers for next year, it seems like couples may be waiting, she said.
“We’ve had quite a few smaller weddings, but it does seem like people are waiting, we are almost sold out for the summer of 2014,” Voithofer said.
Although Voithofer notes, the inn does have a wedding scheduled for today.
“Usually Friday the 13th books because it is an interesting date,” she said. “When people love each other, they’re not worried about the day.”
Hudock and Kumor fit the mold of that couple that won’t shy away.
“Follow your heart, and you can change an unlucky day to a lucky day,” said Hudock.
The couple jokes that people have asked if they were going to honeymoon in the Bermuda Triangle.
“We might as well go,” Kumor laughed.