Sporty Celebs Get Hitched

It's wedding season in the sports world lately, with three notable athlete couples recently tying the knot. If you're the athletic type yourself, or just looking for unusual inspiration for your wedding theme or bridesmaid gifts, read on for a look into the latest celebrity athlete weddings!

You're probably most familiar with Dancing With The Stars finalist (and pro boxer) Laila Ali, who recently wed retired NFL player Curtis Conway in a simple, elegant ceremony in Los Angeles. The 200-guest affair included Ali's sister Hana Ali as bridesmaid, along with Conway's sons and daughter as ringbearers and flower girl respectively. If you're entering into a marriage that will make you a stepmother, take this to heart: you'll only gain points with your future stepchildren by doing your best to make them a part of the wedding, too. Make it a family affair with flower girl gifts and bridesmaid gifts like matching jewelry.

We're guessing the bride had to wear heels to this one: Chinese national basketball player Ye Li may be 6'2", but that still doesn't quite reach the height of her new husband, the 7"6' Houston Rockets center Yao Ming. The Shanghai ceremony was barraged by paparazzi, who received the customary celebratory candy from the bride and groom, as well as a disk full of wedding photos. We say adopt that idea of sweet favors with Personalized Hershey's Miniatures, and throw in a handful of extras when you give out your bridesmaid gifts - after all, chocolate is one of the essential food groups for the female persuasion.

In further evidence that the couple that plays together, stays together, hockey stars Krissy Wendell, of the U.S. Women's Olympic hockey team, and NHL player John Pohl recently tied the knot in a traditional ceremony in Minnesota. They wed in the very church where Wendell's parents married, a sweet nod to the past that could easily be echoed in your own wedding planning! If you can't secure such a venue, bring out the past in other ways. Pearls are both vintage and modern, a timeless tradition that looks fine as your own bridal jewelry and even lovelier when given as bridesmaid gifts, such as this Traditional Pearl 3-Piece Jewelry Set.

So maybe these ideas aren't exactly sporting up your wedding - well, there's a time and a place for an athletic jersey, we say, and your wedding ceremony is neither that place nor that time. If you're really eager to let your athleticism show in your ceremony, do so by punching up your weekly workouts so your ripped physique is fabulous under your bridal gown. Then show it off during the honeymoon with this.