Eli Manning Done Got Hitched
Over the weekend, Giants Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning done went and got himself married up to his long-time girlfriend Abby McGrew:
Giants quarterback Eli Manning wed his college sweetheart Abby McGrew during a beachfront ceremony at sunset Saturday.
About 60 loved ones flew to Mexico to join Manning and his bride for the intimate ceremony at the One & Only Palmilla, a swank resort along the Sea of Cortez on the Baja Peninsula.
Manning, 27, and McGrew, 24, exchanged vows while standing on a platform in the sand as waves crashed over rocks behind them.
The family was on hand to wish the happy couple well, including Super Bowl-winning brother Peyton, who offered some words of encouragement before the ceremony.
It seems that the whole event was laid-back, enjoyable, and fun for everyone:
Hours before the ceremony, Manning worked out pre-wedding jitters, hitting the gym by 10 a.m., running furiously on the treadmill, lifting weights and doing push-ups for an hour and and a half.
During the rest of the day, the Super Bowl MVP and his bride stood by the old adage that the groom not see the bride the day of the wedding. [...]
Manning’s parents, Archie and Olivia Manning, were overjoyed to see their youngest son get hitched.
Archie gave a heartfelt toast Friday night before a rehearsal dinner in front of the resort’s old Spanish Mission Chapel, getting tears in his eyes as he raised his glass.
Manning and McGrew met when they were students at Ole Miss. He proposed last March during a quiet date in Hoboken.
The couple is famously low-key and kept their wedding plans under wraps until just last week.
Wedding guests remarked all weekend about how relaxed Manning had made the celebration for all of them.
Good for them. I’m happy for Eli, whom most people wrote off as a QB while he was still trying to find his footing with the Giants. Say what you will about the Mannings (yeah, people have, and I’m sure more will in response to this post), at least we don’t see photos of them splashed across every newspaper and sports section in the land for all the wrong reasons. When was the last time you saw either Peyton or Eli in the news for drunk driving, or being busted for drugs, or for beating up their wife/girlfriend? They seem to have settled down since college (like most people do) and all you hear about now are either their prowess on the football field or their philanthropy works.
And face it…it’s refreshing to see a famous couple who don’t need to get over themselves. Rumor is the wedding set Eli back about $500,000, which by celeb wedding standards is pretty modest. And spending the day floating around in the pool with your buddies while your big brother tells embarrassing stories about your youth sounds to me like any good ol’ boy’s wedding, not some stuck-on-himself overinflated-ego jock who believes the world revolves around them just because they can throw a football. It’s a nice palate cleanser.
Best wishes to the happy couple!
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HIS REAL NAME IS ELISHA! THIS CANNOT BE REPEATED ENOUGH.
Comment by Matthew T. Sussman — April 21, 2008 @ 10:37 am
Thanks, Matt.
Comment by k — April 21, 2008 @ 10:45 am
My brother-in-law went to school at UT with Peyton and had a few classes with him. Said he was nice enough guy considering the whole town of Knoxville worshiped the ground he walked on. But he always said hi to him and even cracked a few jokes with him.
And when the Colts play the Titans, there’s almost as many cheers for Manning as there are the Titans. Tennessee is still proud of him. And Eli by association. We like the Mannings quite a bit.
Heck, Peyton has the only UT football jersey to be retired. And UT has spit out a lot of talent.
So, there’s that.
Comment by Lauren — April 21, 2008 @ 11:22 am
YAY, k is back. Celebrate good time, come on, let’s celebrate!
Comment by D — April 21, 2008 @ 11:35 am
Lauren: Thanks for the positive comment. I get so sick of hearing stories about the Mannings during college. I bet none of us are the same now as we were in college (well, those of you who got to go…I just like to say I’m not the same now as I was in my late teens/early twenties).
Comment by k — April 21, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
Yes, I’m back…I’m breathing and everything, which is always a good sign!
Comment by k — April 21, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
From the Knoxville perspective, the air around the Mannings is decidedly different than the one formerly around Heath Shuler. Totally different attitudes with totally different outcomes.
Comment by Capcom — April 21, 2008 @ 1:22 pm
Dang, all the Mannings look tanned in the pics!
Congrats to the newlyweds!
Comment by Albus — April 21, 2008 @ 4:10 pm
Nice guy I’m sure, but as a Cowboys fan, I still can’t stand him.
Comment by anonymous — April 21, 2008 @ 4:32 pm
He did push-ups for AN HOUR AND A HALF??? Good God, no wonder he won the Superbowl…
Comment by Moses — April 22, 2008 @ 3:57 pm
I so happy for Eil, He had a class with my daughter at Ole Miss and she stated he was a down to earth guy.
Comment by denice — April 23, 2008 @ 11:44 am