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For Brian and Sara Pitzel, their wedding weekend ended in Green and White.
The Saskatchewan couple tied the knot on Saturday, then filled a bus with family from Norway on Sunday to head straight to the 60th Labour Day Classic.
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“It just felt pretty right,” Brian said. “The Riders are so heavily baked into my family. To bring a bunch of Norwegians to that; it seemed like a no-brainer.”
The 60th edition of the Classic brought an international flavour to Mosaic Stadium. Dozens of Sara’s relatives dressed head-to-toe in green, cheering from the stands and even taking the field as flag-bearers before kickoff.
“They didn’t understand all the rules,” Brian said with a laugh. “But by the end they were catching on, and even without fully understanding the game, they all had a ton of fun.”
For Brian, the Roughriders are an integral part of Saskatchewan’s identity. He says the best way to explain that pride was to put his in-laws in the middle of it.
“Everyone in Saskatchewan knows what the Roughriders are all about,” he said. “That’s our franchise, that’s our community. The only way to introduce people from another continent is to bring them here and show them how it works.”
Dozens of Sara Pitzel’s relatives dressed head-to-toe in green, cheering from the stands and even taking the field as flag-bearers before kickoff at the Labour Day Classic in Regina on Aug. 31, 2025. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
The trip was more than just a football game. It was also a cultural exchange, a chance for Sara’s family to experience the energy of a packed stadium, the passion of Rider fans, and the sense of community that extends far beyond the field.
Brian and Sara first met years ago during a university program in northern Norway, where he travelled to launch rockets on an island above the Arctic Circle. Their relationship spanned continents before they settled in Saskatchewan.
That international story made the weekend’s finale even more symbolic — a bridge between two families, two countries, and a shared moment in Rider Nation.
“They got the full experience,” Brian said. “From the bus ride to the noise inside Mosaic, it’s something they’ll be talking about for years.”
What comes next? Brian says his new in-laws have one clear message for friends back home.
“All the friends left in Norway need to find the time and money to come to Saskatchewan for a trip like this,” he said.
From vows to football, the Pitzels’ wedding weekend was capped with a Saskatchewan memory that blended family, tradition and Rider pride.
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