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Diehard Eagles fans take football obsession to new heights with wedding cake

They love the football team as much as they love each other, so this couple devoted half their wedding cake to the Eagles.
/ Source: TODAY

A Pennsylvania couple, who loves each other as much as their beloved football team — the Philadelphia Eagles — decided to make a true statement of their devotion at their wedding.

When Mike Kelly and Jessica Haines tied the knot on Jan. 27, they celebrated with an Eagles-themed wedding, complete with a towering cake that featured both bridal and brawny elements.

Covered in white fondant, with scrollwork, pearls and buttercream roses on the front, it was everything you’d expect in a traditional wedding cake. But the back was an all-out tribute to the couple’s beloved football team, complete with a green fondant field, mini pigskins and the Eagles logo.

“We love the Eagles, and we love each other,” the bride told TODAY Food from their honeymoon in Dublin, Ireland. “The beginning of the building blocks of our relationship was our shared love for the Eagles, and the cake really tied it all together. It really meant a lot to us to have something that was a symbol of that love.”

Forget notions of his side versus her side. The bride and groom, both 26 and die-hard fans, were equally in love with both.

A couple whose wedding cake was traditional on one side, Philadelphia Eagles themed on the othe
Symbol of love: This couple's wedding cake captures their love for each other, and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Master's Baker

“We wanted to have an elegant side that was beautiful and also a side that was a big part of us, which was the Eagles,” Kelly said. “She was just as much a part of the Eagles side as me. We both wanted the elegance and the Eagles.”

The cake, a five-tier stunner made by The Master’s Baker in West Chester, Pennsylvania, was a hit with the all wedding attendees.

“I thought the cake was beautiful, exactly what we asked for,” Haines added. “I loved that one side was classic and elegant, just a normal wedding cake, and the other side was a bit of a surprise for everybody.”

A couple whose wedding cake was traditional on one side, Philadelphia Eagles themed on the other.
Die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fans, Mike and Jessica Kelly.Jessica Kelly

When Kelly walked into the venue (The Waterfall catering hall in Claymont, Delaware) he noticed that the Eagles side of the cake was facing the wall. So of course he asked that it be turned around.

“We were just so happy with it,” he said. “It was the perfect backdrop. It added to the wedding. People were taking photos of it all night long and posting on Facebook and Twitter.”

A couple whose wedding cake was traditional on one side, Philadelphia Eagles themed on the othe
The couple share a dance at their wedding Saturday night.Jessica Kelly

The Eagles theme of their wedding was years in the making, long before the team made its improbable Super Bowl run this year. When the couple became engaged two years ago, they decided on an Eagles-themed winter wedding and picked Jan. 27, 2018, knowing their wedding date would fall between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl.

“We thought in the back of our head, wouldn’t it be a miracle if the Eagles would be in,” said Kelly adding that they’ll catch their Eagles playing in Sunday’s big game at a bar in London. “It’d be a giant pre-party, and somehow, it was just meant to be.”

After they ordered the cake in the fall and the Eagles kept winning, the couple looked to include the team in more ways, including an ice sculpture in the shape of an Eagles helmet, player names and numbers for table numbers, and Eagles props for the photo booth.

But it was the cake that kicked the theme into high gear.

A couple whose wedding cake was traditional on one side, Philadelphia Eagles themed on the othe
Groom Mike Kelly in front of an ice sculpture in the shape of an Eagles helmet at his wedding Saturday night.Jessica Kelly

“The cake was really the thing that brought it all together and really was the start of it,” said Kelly, who wore an Eagles-green vest and bow tie during the ceremony. “As we saw how they designed the cake, it all came together. The decision to go with the special cake, with half and half, kind of just launched the whole Eagles theme.”

The cake, which fed over 160 people, had several flavors. The top was lemon-raspberry, followed by almond, then lemon-raspberry, almond again and lemon-velvet on the bottom.

A couple whose wedding cake was traditional on one side, Philadelphia Eagles themed on the othe
The happy couple on their special day _ with their special, two-sided cake.Jessica Kelly

“We didn’t get to eat a whole lot of the hors d’oeuvres, but we did get to enjoy that cake we cut together,” Kelly said. “It was delicious, the best cake I’ve ever had.”

At the end of the (wedding) day, the cake should represent the bride and groom, and this combo cake was the perfect fit.

“A lot of people say it’s tacky to have an Eagles cake, and you don’t want to overdo it,” the bride said. “But it’s our wedding day. It wouldn’t be us if we didn’t do something that meant a lot to us like that.”

Touchdown Kellys!

TODAY.com contributor Lisa A. Flam is a news and lifestyle reporter in New York. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.