Lucky number seven comes in triplicate this year, making July 7, 2007, a hot date for weddings.

The first Saturday in July has been booked for months, say caterers, event planners and florists, and they still are turning down requests from brides and grooms who are vying for the novelty date. People magazine reports that actress Eva Longoria is due to marry San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker on that day in Paris.

Gigi Gerig, 32, of Dallas became engaged in December and quickly settled on the idea of a wedding on a day of all sevens. “I liked the sound of it and it seemed like something that my future husband could remember for our anniversary,” Gerig said.

Even starting early, she said, it took four tries before finding an available church. Gerig considered having the wedding at 7 p.m. but decided it would make the reception run too late into the evening.

“That might have been carrying it a little too far,” she said.

The date has been in such demand that Wal-Mart has sponsored a contest and will select seven couples to get married at the discount store’s garden area in any city on July 7. The winners will enjoy free invitations, catering, rings and flowers for the ceremony, spokeswoman Karen Burke said.

“A lot of wedding and reception venues are booked, so we are stepping in to provide a solution for seven lucky couples,” Burke said.

Wedding professionals began to note excitement about the date last year, said Richard Markel, head of the 800-member Association for Wedding Professionals International.

"I guess more people are getting into numerology," Markel said, adding that July 7 will be decidedly unlucky for bargain hunters. The increased demand will drive up costs for everything from caterers to florists, he said.

In numerology, seven is a philosophical number, said Samantha McGovern, a numerologist in New Orleans.

“It’s a great day for people to express themselves meaningfully,” she said.

Seven also is significant in the Bible, said Dr. Richard Nelson, who teaches at the SMU Perkins School of Theology.

Among his examples:

• There were six days of creation and the seventh day of rest.

• When Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answers, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”

• And in the book of Genesis, God promised that “if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.”

According to the Penguin Dictionary of Symbols, the number seven figures prominently in other religions as well.

A Jewish bride traditionally circles the groom seven times under their wedding canopy. Passover lasts seven days in Israel. In Islam, there are seven heavens, seven earths, seven seas and seven divisions of hell.

But most people likely are choosing the date because the number seven is considered lucky and it falls on a Saturday, speculated Stephanie Clements, events coordinator for Delaney Vineyards in Fort Worth.

“A lot of people are kind of superstitious,” she said. “You know how hard it is to keep a marriage together these days. They’ll do anything to keep it.”

Some brides still are scrambling for a caterer for that date, said Lisa Flick of Creative Cuisine in Dallas, who has been booked for more than year. Other brides already are calling about Aug. 8, 2008, which falls on a Friday.

Christina Mistry, who owns Invites by Christina in Southlake, said she has about 15 orders for July 7 wedding invitations. “Everybody wants to get married on a day that’s more memorable or special,” she said.

Gary Buehler, owner of Gil’s Elegant Catering in Dallas, said one woman reserved the date with him a year and a half ago – just in case. She recently canceled.

“That happens,” Buehler said. “Brides will book a date and then go looking for a husband.”

Fortunately, Buehler had no problem rebooking.

“You have to think about it from a man’s point of view,” Buehler said. “You won’t forget it.”

Dallas Morning News reference librarian Darby Tober and the Associated Press contributed to this report.