A woman who hadn’t been summoned for jury duty in more than a decade was surprised to receive a notice in the mail, but when she looked at the date, her jaw dropped.

Bride-to-be Katrina told Newsweek she has always found it fascinating to experience the civic responsibility of jury duty, particularly for a complex or high-profile case, which is why when she received a summons in the mail, she welcomed the opportunity.

However, she shared in an August 20 Instagram video, under the account katrinabadowski, that the timing wasn’t going to work for her.

“When I saw the date on the summons, my jaw physically dropped,” she said.

“The odds of being called on the exact day of my wedding felt like one of those moments where the universe had a sense of humor.”

Katrina and her now-husband were scheduled to marry at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, one of the world’s most recognizable churches, and their destination wedding had already been carefully arranged, she said.

The wedding wasn’t exactly an event she could casually reschedule, with their flights, venue and vendors already booked and paid for.

The timing was particularly striking because the wedding date had personal significance beyond the ceremony itself. While weekend weddings are more common, Katrina and her partner had a reason to choose a Monday.

“Our first date was on a Monday and we got engaged on a Monday,” Katrina said, “So, it felt fitting to get married on a Monday, too.”

That sentimental choice happened to put their wedding on a weekday when jury service is typically held, creating an unusual clash between two very different commitments.

Random Selection

Jury service is typically assigned through a random selection process from lists of people eligible to serve, meaning there is no way for someone to predict when their name will be selected. But receiving a summons does not necessarily mean a person has no options if the date creates a serious conflict.

Sharing her experience prompted plenty of commentary on Instagram, with some recounting their own experiences of being summoned for jury duty, from weddings to birthdays and the expected delivery date for a baby.

“My husband got called the morning we were going to get induced with our daughter,” revealed a parent.

An individual suggested to Katrina, “Kill two birds with one stone at your Monday courthouse wedding.”

Another quipped: “Invite the judge.”

A wedding is not automatically a universal exemption from jury duty, so anyone facing a scheduling conflict should follow the instructions on their summons and contact the appropriate court as soon as possible.

Save the Date

With just over two weeks to go before her big day, Katrina had to figure out how to resolve the unexpected scheduling clash.

In the final rush of wedding planning, however, the jury summons initially fell to the bottom of her to-do list, she said. It wasn’t until August 20—just 11 days before her wedding—that she returned to the notice and took action.

She emailed the Jury Commissioner to explain that she was scheduled to get married in Italy on the same day she had been summoned for jury duty. She also requested a postponement.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long for an answer.

The Office of the Jury Clerk replied to her the following morning: “Received and excused you from jury duty. Thank you and congratulations.”

The newlywed remarked, “Thankfully, communication is a powerful tool and the district court was reasonable.

“Crisis averted!”