Palindrome partners: Friday’s date draws couples to Spokane courthouse for special 6-26-26 nuptials

When deciding on the date for their wedding, Spokane newlyweds Kyle Madsen and Madi Bates were influenced by the number.

Friday’s date was a palindrome – a number that reads the same forwards and backwards – and contained the same two numbers repeating.

“It was easy to remember. It had three sixes and then a double,” Madsen said.

The couple, public defenders who met at the Gonzaga University School of Law, felt the date aligned with their desired time of year.

Tatum and Ethan Hardie, another newlywed couple, also chose the date with intention.

“It has a ring to it, rolls off the tongue good,” Ethan Hardie said.

The Hardies were headed to Leavenworth for their honeymoon. Tatum Hardie, a Spokane-area native, said the Satellite Diner is the couple’s restaurant. She also said Anthony’s Restaurant is a much-loved place.

“We are going to Anthony’s after this,” she said.

Across the country, couples flock to the chapels on palindrome dates. On Feb. 22, 2022, Chapel of the Flowers in Las Vegas saw its busiest day in 62 years, according to NPR.

In Spokane, this trend happened on a smaller scale.

Spokane courts saw several ceremonies on Friday as couples like the Hardies and Madsen and Bates sought a special wedding date.

Judicial Administrative Assistant Jeanine Sword acknowledged she sees a higher volume of reservations on dates that are numerical patterns.

Meanwhile, Jade Leonetti, the chief elopement officer at the Vow Room in downtown Spokane, had no weddings scheduled Friday. She said she rarely sees weddings on palindromes at all.

“I think people do (get married on numerically significant dates), I just haven’t had that experience. I feel like other venues are booking those days, and definitely Vegas,” she said.

Leonetti attributes the difference at her venue to its smaller size and younger age. She also said the current economic and political climates have discouraged marriage.

“A lot of times people slow down, stop getting married during times of political unrest,” she said.

Leonetti says she sometimes sees marriage on significant dates, but that choosing based on convenience is equally likely.

“It’s kind of like half and half … people either have a date that is important to them, or they find a date that is convenient,” she said.

While Friday wasn’t significant for the Vow Room, Leonetti says she’s already had someone ask her for the palindrome date July 27, 2027.

She predicts that as her business continues to grow, trends may change.

“We’re just getting our name out there,” she said. “Let’s see how next year goes.”

New Year’s Eve wedding reservations are also especially popular compared to the rest of the year, said Superior Court Administrator Ashley Callan.

More couples may be drawn to Spokane County Courthouse’s rose gardens, maintained lawns and historic architecture.

The Courthouse was built in 1895. French Renaissance architecture influenced its design.

“It doesn’t hurt that our courthouse is a beautiful castle,” Callan said.

Madsen, who married Friday, was driven not by architecture, but relationships. He was wed by a former coworker, Judge Jeremy Schmidt.

“All the stars aligned,” he said.

As Spokane County Courthouse staff associate court processes with various emotions, wedding ceremonies are particularly uplifting.

“The judges don’t often get to do a lot of happy things, and … this is one of the things that … brings joy to other people,” Sword said.