Russell Wilson and Ciara Reportedly Moved Wedding From North Carolina Over Transgender Bathroom Laws

Russell Wilson and Ciara ended up getting married in England last month, at a previously undisclosed location, on a Wednesday right after the 4th of July. The timing and details seemed a little weird. Turns out, it was because the wedding location was moved, and the castle in England was their third choice for venue.

According to a story appearing in The Knot (h/t to Pro Football Talk), celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss revealed that the couple had originally set a location in North Carolina, where Russell Wilson grew up and originally played college football and baseball at NC State.

" “I did the whole thing — three times,” Weiss reveals. “They were first getting married in North Carolina, but they called it off due to the transgender bathroom laws. But it was really done.” The couple then set their sights on the City of Light. “They were gonna go to Paris and it ended up being [Couture] Fashion Week,” says Weiss. “And it was really difficult.” "

Russell Wilson never came out publicly and made a stand announcing that he was moving the wedding because of the controversial HB2 law, the same law that served as the impetus behind the NBA announcing they were moving the location of the All-Star Game last month.

This is also notable because of Wilson’s public and frequent discussion of his Christian faith. Many religious groups were notably behind the bill, and attitudes toward the bill tend to fall in line with political orientation, with conservatives supporting it. (Though this is not universal, as polling showed that more Republicans (28%) opposed the bill than Democrats (16%) supported it). As someone who speaks of their faith, and now reportedly also moved their wedding location because of the bill, it will be interesting to see if Wilson speaks out now that the wedding planner has let this out of the bag.