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Julie Leon and David Amos

The inspiration for Julie Leon's July 7, 2007, wedding came in a dream. Ms. Leon, a Toronto-area schoolteacher, had just started dating software engineer David Amos in the spring of 2005 when her mother mentioned she'd dreamt Ms. Leon would get married on 7/7/07. Sure, Mom, Ms. Leon thought - but she did notice July 7 would be a Saturday.

Fast forward a year, and Ms. Leon and Mr. Amos were living in a house they'd bought together - lot No. 107, street address No. 387. He proposed on April 7 last year.

Ms. Leon called the Etobicoke Catholic church where her parents got married, and her first choice for the reception, the Palais Royale on Lake Ontario. Both were available.

"It obviously is meant to be," says Ms. Leon, 29.

The beginning of her relationship with Mr. Amos, 32, felt like a gamble. They met through an online dating site, which Ms. Leon says was a first for both.

As soon as they started talking, she felt a connection. "I knew there was something there I had to hold on to," Ms. Leon says.

"We were from different circles, different careers, different hometowns - we would never have met, but we're so perfect for each other. It's been a dream."

And as Ms. Leon's mother might say, some dreams do come true.

Ijaz Jamal and Farheen Virji

They met at a Caribana party in Toronto and he proposed on a Jamaican beach with a lollipop candy ring. So when it came time to plan their wedding, 34-year-old Ijaz Jamal and 31-year-old Farheen Virji wanted something festive.

"Hey, how about July 7?" Mr. Jamal asked his fiancée, noting that they'd never forget their anniversary.

"That'll be perfect," she replied.

Unfortunately, they were late to the party. They got engaged in January, when the 7/7/07 hype was already raging. "We went to four different banquet halls," Mr. Jamal recalls. "One lady just started laughing at us. She said, 'That day's been booked since 2004.' "

Undaunted, the couple compromised: They'll have the ceremony at a Unionville mosque on Saturday, and the reception for 300 people ("That's not too big for an Indian wedding," Mr. Jamal notes) on Sunday.

A full weekend of celebration seems apropos for Mr. Jamal, a marketing manager who's known by his friends as the life of any party. He was introduced to Ms. Virji, a child and family therapist, by a mutual friend who promised, "You're guaranteed you're going to have a fun time with Ijaz."

Despite the trouble finding a reception hall, florist and other wedding vendors, Mr. Jamal says he has no regrets about choosing the 7/7/07 date: "How fun will that be?"

Nikki Davidson and Tony Johnson

It was hate at first sight when Nikki Davidson, who works at a law firm, met Tony Johnson, the bouncer at her favourite pub. "I thought he was the rudest person I'd ever met," says Ms. Davidson, 27.

Mr. Johnson, 32, was a bit more taken with her. After a late-night political discussion at the pub, she realized he had hidden depths and decided to give him a chance. They went out for drinks, and she read to him from astrology books. (He's a Leo and she's a Taurus, which she says explains why they clashed at first.)

It took a while before she would admit they were really dating. But Mr. Johnson hung in there and won her over. On June 6 of last year - 6/6/06 - they were sitting on the patio of the same pub, talking about marriage in the vague, far-off way couples sometimes do.

"How about 7/7/07?" Mr. Johnson asked. Their friends started clapping and pulling out their datebooks.

"Are you serious?" Ms. Davidson asked, a question she recalls repeating "somewhere around a thousand times" before realizing that he was. Then she said yes.

"It's lucky sevens for us," Ms. Davidson says. She's planning a "1950s rockabilly Las Vegas" theme for their wedding at the Masonic Hall in London, Ont. She'll be wearing a vintage 1954 dress she bought on eBay, and plans to end the evening where it all began: the pub.

Line up for 8/8/08

If you think July 7, 2007, is a big day for weddings, just wait until Aug. 8, 2008.

Wedding planners, photographers and halls are already booking up — even though the date falls on a Friday.

Two hundred couples have registered 8/8/08 as their wedding date so far on Weddingbells.ca, according to Weddingbells magazine's editor-in-chief, Alison McGill.

"Maybe they think it will bring them an extra shot of luck," Ms. McGill says.

Eight is considered an auspicious number in Chinese culture because its Cantonese pronunciation sounds like the word for wealth. The number is so well-regarded that the Beijing Olympics will start at precisely 8 p.m. on Aug. 8 next year.

For everyone else, it's simply a cool-sounding date that's easy to remember.

"At least three people have asked about it," says Toronto wedding planner Danielle Andrews Sunkel, who's already booked to officiate a wedding on 8/8/08. "I think it's going to be just as big as (July 7) this year."

Incidentally, for lovebirds who'd like to plan even further ahead, Sept. 9, 2009, falls on a Wednesday; Oct. 10, 2010 is a Sunday; Nov. 11, 2011 is a Friday; and Dec. 12, 2012 falls on Wednesday. After that, you're out of luck.

Rebecca Dube