A Florida groom said he’s officially “Mavsried” after tying the knot with his beautiful bride this past weekend in a celebration at West Palm Beach, inspired by the couple’s love for the Dallas Mavericks.
It’s a match made in basketball heaven.
Ten years ago, Ryan Starr was attending Bucknell University when he spotted his future bride, Emily, in a freshman class. The duo initially struck up a friendship until Ryan caught sight of Emily’s hoop skills and it was love at first rebound.
“She was a former basketball star in high school and one day we went to play pickup basketball,” said Ryan, who is now a mental health clinical pharmacy specialist. “Emily was a great rebounder and that really caught my eye.
“I also loved how she adopted the Mavericks as her favorite team. I knew we were the perfect match.”
Ryan grew up in New York and loved basketball from an early age. One day he was watching TV and saw Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.
From there, his loyalty to the franchise only blossomed as the Mavs went on to win the 2011 world championship.
“I’m the biggest Mavs fan on the East Coast,” Ryan said. “Everyone knows me as the ‘Mavs guy’ at work. My coffee cup is Mavericks, my tie is Mavericks. I talk about the team all day, every day.
“For my bachelor party I got tickets to the game when Dallas played the Heat here. My wife is a Mavs Fan For Life now and we share the same passion, loyalty and love for the team.”
That passion, loyalty and love for the Mavs naturally led to Ryan and Emily’s wedding celebration this past weekend in Florida. The couple decided to incorporate the Mavericks into the ceremony and reception in several ways.
Ryan said he and the groomsmen all wore Mavericks socks in navy blue, and he strategically decided on the players each person would wear.
“I originally wanted to have the starting five from the championship season, which was the second-best day of my life,” he noted. “Luka is very important to me, so me and the best man wore Luka (Doncic) socks.
“My groomsmen from New York wore Kristaps Porzingis socks and the rest of the groomsmen — my loyal buddies — rocked the Dirk socks.”
Ryan said the DallasMavs.com Shop even stepped in to make his wedding day extra special.
“The Mavs Shop reached out and they were so kind and gracious and sent us extra socks to make sure all the groomsmen were set,” he said. “Then they surprised us with a package full of 200 Mavericks medallions. I couldn’t believe it.”
And the Mavs love didn’t stop there. Ryan said the highlight of the couple’s reception came after his dad made his speech.
“We chose “Halleluka” as our wedding song,” he cheerfully said. “It’s our favorite song as a couple.
“At the wedding, my dad printed out lyrics for over 100 people and the DJ asked all the groomsmen and (bridesmaids) to surround Emily and I as we slow danced to our favorite song.”
Ryan said it was a magical moment as the DJ dished out the Mavs’ light-up necklaces and had everyone come to the dance floor. Then Roman Alemany (DJ Red Elephant) read this script:
“This song is for the two biggest Mavs Fans For Life…the 77 to each other’s 41…the best at everything they do – The Starrs! The groom wants to acknowledge The Ringer, the Mavericks organization, and Mark Cuban for making their contribution to this wonderful celebration. Go Mavs.”
And for their honeymoon? Ryan said the newlyweds have spent the last few days in front of the TV.
“We aren’t going on a trip just yet,” Ryan said. “Instead, we’ve been watching the Mavericks summer league games all weekend.”
@TamaraJolee
TO SEE THE COUPLE DANCE TO “HALLELUKA,” CLICK THE VIDEO BELOW
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