A military couple reportedly was forced to relocate their wedding Sunday to accommodate President Barack Obama’s golf game.
Bloomberg reported that Natalie Heimel and Edward Mallue Jr., who are both Army captains, learned after their wedding rehearsal Saturday at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course on the Marine Corps Base Hawaii that they would need to move the ceremony scheduled for the next day so that the President could play.
Heimel and Mallue had previously invited Obama to the ceremony since they knew he traditionally spends Christmas in Hawaii, according to Bloomberg. They had received a letter from the President earlier Saturday that wished them well but declined their invitation.
Obama later phoned Heimel and apologized for the scheduling conflict, her sister Jamie McCarthy told Bloomberg.
It’s unclear if the White House would have been aware of the planned wedding. But the woman who handled logistics for Heimel’s wedding, Naile Brennan, told the news outlet that anyone planning an event at the golf course when Obama is expected to be in town is warned in advance that his travel may move things around.
Obama’s love of golf has been a source of minor drama in the second half of this year. He was criticized for teeing off on Martha’s Vineyard after addressing the brutal killing of journalist James Foley last summer, and one week later was reportedly turned away from elite New York golf clubs who didn’t want to inconvenience their other clients.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) later ribbed the President on Twitter over this latest report:
I usually say at least he isn’t doing something harmful when he’s playing golf…Obama’s Golf Plans Force Wedding… http://t.co/YjIIJ9JClG
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 29, 2014
