![\"Billie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/b1d8fbcbfdaad8ebeb3c905e137cbc78.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nNEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Katrina Badowski was summoned for jury duty on the same day as her destination wedding<\/p>\n
The bride successfully requested a postponement by providing proof of her wedding plans to the court<\/p>\n
Her social media post about the coincidence went viral, sparking stories of others’ inconvenient jury summons<\/p>\n
Of all the days to be called for jury duty, a bride was summoned for service on the very same date as her wedding.<\/p>\n
Katrina Badowski, 35, and Billie Rodriguez, 42, will say “I do” in a ceremony at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Monday, Aug. 31. Just over two weeks before the destination wedding, Badowski received a Wyandotte County District Court Jury Summons and was shocked to see that she had been randomly selected for jury duty on her wedding day.<\/p>\n
“I find it deeply ironic that I haven’t been summoned for jury duty in over a decade, as I would genuinely welcome the opportunity. I’ve always thought it would be fascinating to experience that civic responsibility, particularly for a complex or high-profile case,” Badowski tells PEOPLE. “But when I saw the date on the summons, my jaw physically dropped.”<\/p>\n
The bride-to-be, who opened the mail on Friday, Aug. 14, continued, “The odds of being called on the exact day of my wedding feels like one of those moments where the universe has a sense of humor.”<\/p>\n
Ignoring a jury summons can lead to a court hearing and monetary fines. However, Badowski can’t report for service, even if she wanted to.<\/p>\n
“Because of the nature of our destination wedding, with all flights, venues, and vendors booked and paid for, it is entirely impossible for me to attend,” she explains.<\/p>\n
In the final rush of wedding planning, the notice fell to the bottom of Badowski’s to-do pile. When she revisited it on Thursday, Aug. 20, she immediately emailed the jury clerk to request a postponement, explaining that she’s getting married on that exact date and would be “more than happy to fulfill [her] civic duty” once she returns to Kansas from Italy in September. She sent the link to her wedding website as proof, and offered to provide transportation documentation.<\/p>\n
Luckily, the next morning on Friday, Aug. 21, the Office of the Jury Clerk replied: “Received and excused you from jury duty. Thank you and Congratulations \ud83d\ude0a.”<\/p>\n
“Crisis averted!” Badowski says.<\/p>\n
Her fianc\u00e9 jokes, “Of course that happened because she is always highly sought after. I am glad to be able to snag her away from official summons for our special day.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Billie Rodriguez and Katrina Badowski
Credit: Courtesy Katrina Badowski<\/p>\n