In a situation that resembled the screenplay from the 2009 movie Bride Wars, the Kiama Knights rugby league club were made to fall on their proverbial swords due to a double booking at the Kiama Sports and Entertainment Complex.

Last Saturday, the Kiama I Do wedding exhibition was held at The Pavilion and within the vicinity, the Kiama Knights had planned six games, which included a 40-year reunion for the 1985 premiership-winning team at the Kiama Showground.

Leading up to Saturday, there were whispers within the community that the use of the Kiama Showground would be inhibited for most of the day.

Kiama Knights seniors and juniors committee member and coaching coordinator Marc Laird told The Bugle “we had a big day planned for last Saturday for a long time".

"We had our 40-year reunion for our 1985 premiership-winning team, with a lot of those boys travelling interstate, a couple from Queensland, one from Tasmania.

“Thursday morning, we got wind that it was not going to happen, that the grounds were already booked for another event, that they (the grounds) weren’t available from 10am until 2pm.

“Sort of rendered our whole day, you know six games planned. Pretty much put a big dent in our day, I guess.

“It is just disappointing, knowing that all the planning that had gone in then just to be told that there was no sort of wiggle room, or (that) we couldn’t get on the field was extremely disappointing.”

While Laird and the Kiama Knights fraternity were disappointed with the displacement, it seems there is no animosity, at least from Laird.

“I don’t want to blame anyone or point fingers at anyone. It’s sort of a miscommunication from all parties, I guess,” Laird said.

“The ground had been booked for a year in advance for this expo and our draw had been done for six months.

“We (Kiama Knights) have been using this field for 100 years.”

Home games are imperative to the facilitation of revenue for regional rugby league clubs, with limited funding coming from parent bodies making game day revenue and the support of volunteers vital to the progression of the club.

“The thing with us, it’s the game day revenue and for us to survive as a community footy club, we rely on the game day revenue,” Laird said.

“We only get nine games a year at home, so it is really important that we have big days financially to keep us afloat.

“So, it went from being potentially a really great day for the club, to a pretty uneventful one really.”

When asked if the club was provided with any sort of compensation for the late cancellation, Laird could not confirm, stating “we sort of have to suck it up, I guess.”

Rebecca Armstrong from The Pavilion explained that she was not authorised to comment on the booking faux pas, but ensured the Kiama I Do exhibition was a success.

“It was excellent. It was a really busy day,” Armstrong said.

“We had three wedding venues open, we set up mock weddings with the help of local wedding suppliers.

“It wasn’t just about showcasing the venues, it is about driving more business and revenue to the local businesses that we partner with.”

In a detailed statement from Kiama Municipal Council provided to The Bugle, it simplified the complex booking conflict highlighting that this issue was flagged earlier this year in April. 

“Kiama Council was advised in April 2025 by the Kiama District Sports Association (KDSA) of the prospective Knights 40 year anniversary tournament, at which point Council flagged the existing Kiama I Do booking,” a Council spokesperson said. 

“Council suggested contacting The Pavilion or consider a Friday twilight game. As no further contact was made with Council or The Pavilion, it was assumed an alternative arrangement had been made by KDSA and/or the Knights to hold their anniversary game. 

“When it became evident late last week that both bookings had accidentally gone ahead causing a clash (eg: Kiama I Do was not using the showground, but a football match there would not be conducive to the wedding expo), organisers worked hard behind the scenes to accommodate both events. 

“Council acknowledges and understands that this double-booking was made accidentally. Unfortunately, mistakes happen. The Pavilion and Showground precinct is a large and popular complex with a range of different users and events throughout the year, which generally run smoothly. 

“Council further acknowledges the importance of local sport and the role of Kiama Showground as our town’s chief football venue, particularly during mid-season. However, wedding events and venues also bring significant revenue and promotional opportunities to our region and contribute to our local and regional economy.” 

It is estimated through the average wedding spend and weddings per capita, the wedding industry is worth almost $5 billion to the Australian economy a year.  

A spokesperson for KDSA was unavailable for comment.

Bride Wars is a 2009 comedy film starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson, where two best friends booked the same venue and became estranged through the process.