Everett couple says ‘I do,’ complete with diamond

EVERETT — The bride and groom strolled out to the pitcher’s mound, she no longer worried about grass stains on her white gown.

He took off his suit jacket, gave his new wife a big smooch and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

It fell short of home plate.

“The kiss kinda messed up my head,” said Cullen Jackson, 26. “But our wedding photographer said it looked great in the picture.”

Stacie Young and Cullen Jackson were married on her 31st birthday Sunday, shortly before the start of the AquaSox minor league baseball game against the Spokane Indians.

The Everett couple is the first to tie the knot at the AquaSox park, said Erica Fensterbush, of the organization’s front office. And the Jacksons won’t be the last. There is a growing interest in baseball-game weddings, Fensterbush said.

A wedding at the ballpark costs just a tad more than a child’s blowout birthday party there. And it’s a no-brainer for baseball fans like Jackson.

Jackson’s been a baseball enthusiast since he played T-ball, Little League and Babe Ruth, and a Seattle Mariners fan since the 1995 season. Since moving to Everett, the AquaSox team is a favorite now, too.

“I love baseball,” Jackson said. “Of course it wouldn’t matter where or when our wedding was, as long as Stacie was there.”

“But why not have it at the ballfield?” Young said. “It’s close to our house. We’ll always be able to say it’s where we got married. It’s awesome.”

Young, a graduate of Lynnwood High School and Edmonds Community College, works for Romac Industries in Bothell. Jackson, a recent graduate of the University of Washington in political science, hopes to get a job with the Everett Police Department.

What did their mothers have to say when Young and Jackson announced that their wedding would be at Everett Memorial Stadium?

“It’s just like Stacie to want something different,” said her mother, Laurie Andrews. “I just wanted a nice day, and we got it.”

Jackson’s mother, Leslie, just shrugged.

“As long as it wasn’t underwater, I told Cullen I didn’t care,” Leslie Jackson said. “I wouldn’t look good in a wet suit.”

The couple chose wedding colors of blue, red and creamy white to match AquaSox blue and the stitching on a baseball. The color scheme was reflected, too, in the old-style Cracker Jack boxes, bags of peanuts and vases of used baseballs that decorated the reception tables under a tent in the bullpen. The wedding music played on the loudspeaker was prerecorded on a baseball park-style organ.

Guests sat in the stands behind home plate, where the marriage ceremony took place. On the field, the groomsmen and the bridesmaids were joined by the bride’s son, Grant Young, 8.

In his vows before the crowd, the groom teared up as he told his bride and Grant that he would forever care for them.

“In our life together, there will be strikeouts and some intentional walks to first base, but I will always love you,” Jackson said.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.