By Sam Dolnick
The Associated Press

Rich Rowland Jr. and Kim Terhune wanted to get married in September and settled on the second Saturday of the month: today, which happens to be Sept. 11.

The date may have given other couples pause, but Rowland, 27, and Terhune, 26, of Greenville, N.C., decided to "try and make it a happier day."

Not everyone approved of their decision.

In fact, Rowland and Terhune are in the minority: Many couples have avoided the day.

Dantzler Brunswick, owner and president of West Chester Township-based wedding planning service A Hand in Time, said she had no Sept. 11 weddings, even though she told couples that many vendors and reception halls were offering discounts.

"I did discuss it with several individuals and they said 'absolutely not,' " she said.

According to theknot.com, the largest wedding site on the Internet, 66 percent fewer couples have registered on the site for weddings today than on the surrounding Saturdays. Also, this year's registrations reflect a 55 percent drop from the second Saturday of September in 2003, and a 65 percent drop from the second Saturday of September 2002.

The empty datebooks of wedding planners in California, Missouri, Virginia and New York confirm those numbers.

The Swan Floral & Gift Shop in Erlanger, reported it wasn't delivering any flowers today.

But Sheryl Eichelberger, owner of Creative Cake Designs in Reading, said the company made cakes for three weddings, including one that will commemorate the 9/11 anniversary during the ceremony.

Eichelberger also said three couples that ordered cakes from her chose to get married Friday to avoid the 11th.

Couples who did schedule weddings for today cite a range of reasons. For some it was the most convenient date. For others it was a way to take advantage of steep discounts driven by a lack of business.

A few, like Lynne Vellucci and James Buongiorno, are using their wedding today to make a statement.

"We're really excited about having a celebration of love to help restore a sense of goodness to the world," Vellucci said.

Vellucci, 35, and Buongiorno, 38, both of Brooklyn, N.Y., didn't set out to marry on Sept. 11. But when they learned it worked best for logistical reasons, they "realized it was something we wanted to do," Vellucci said.

"It's a kind of renewal to focus on all the love and happiness in the world," she said.

"It made me so sad that people thought I was being disrespectful," the bride-to-be said. "I would look at them and say, 'We selected this day for a reason.' "

Enquirer staff writer Lauren Bishop contributed.