Kelly Culbert was reluctant to meet someone new, especially someone who was only home in California one-third of the year. A friend coerced her to join him for an evening at Mike Lieberthal's, though, and she immediately hit it off with the Phillies catcher. Knowing her new beau would soon go south—for spring training—Kelly was cautious at first. But three-and-a-half years later, at the end of the 2005 season, she was confident enough to deliver an ultimatum: "If we don’t get engaged by the end of this off-season, I don't know if I'm going back with you."

Just three days before Mike's Florida departure, Kelly was surprised to find their dogs, Reggie and Lola, on the loose when they returned from dinner. As she headed inside to investigate, Mike commanded all three of them to "stay" in the driveway, then nonchalantly added, "Kelly, there's this question I've been meaning to ask you." The dog mystery was solved when Kelly saw the candles, petals, roses and champagne that waited inside thanks to fellow player Tim Laker and his wife.

"I wanted a really colorful wedding," says Kelly, who had envisioned marrying at Santa Barbara's historic Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore since childhood. Choosing a dress was not as simple. She struck out during a three-day New York City appointment spree but found a "funky" and "different" gown she loved at a salon less than five miles from their Philadelphia home.

When Mike saw Kelly in her feathery frock as she arrived for their afternoon ceremony on the resort's lush Monte Vista Lawn, he was "all smiles," she says. He even held it together as six-year-old ring bearer, Christopher Lidle, and his mother, Melanie, lit a candle in memory of Mike's former teammate, Cory Lidle, who had perished three weeks earlier when his small plane crashed. As he recited his vows, however, Mike "got a little emotional," says Kelly, adding, "I love to rag on him."

The party moved to the Loggia Ballroom and its patio, where the ice bar was a grand slam. "We invited 237 people and 229 came," says Kelly. Hand-calligraphed baseballs displayed on Astroturf served as place cards. Each table was named for a Major League team, and floral arrangements incorporated Mike's catcher's equipment. His number flashed on the copper dance floor as a versatile band entertained. Although he'd suffered a groin tear two days before the season's end, Kelly says Mike danced as well as usual. "That's one of the things that makes me laugh," she says, "is when he tries to dance."

When Mike lifted Kelly's skirt for the garter toss, she was wearing red shin guards. "That surprised me, but it was funny," Mike says.

"We're humorous; we've never fought," Kelly explains. "Everything's fun with us. That's what we wanted our wedding to be." Lidle's accident provided a poignant reminder: "It's not the flowers or the cake that's important; it's the people who are in your life."

One of those important people was Kelly's 87-year-old grandfather, a Dodgers fan who died the following spring, but not before learning Mike had joined his favorite team. Mike is happy playing in L.A. "It's nice to come home to my wife and dogs," he says. "In baseball, there are a lot of ups and downs, but she's always the same. As long as she keeps me laughing, then I'm not going anywhere."

Written by Kim Knox Beckius