As baker Janice Carver prepares for Saturday's deluge of brides, her most critical tool is Microsoft Excel.

DEAN HOLLINGSWORTH/DMN

"I'm a big fan of spreadsheets," she said as she scanned row after row of brides, their cakes and reception halls recently at her business, Romano's Bakery in Dallas. "It's all about the planning."Brides have swarmed to July 7 – 7/7/07 – hoping a triple-7 anniversary will bring a little extra luck to their union. That's transformed a normally sleepy Saturday in July into the biggest day of the year for an assortment of small businesses – florists, formal attire retailers, bakeries – that cater to the wedding trade.

For the first time in its 17-year history, Romano's had to close the date to new customers. And planning that would normally begin two weeks before a wedding instead started six weeks in advance this year.

The bakery had to rent a second refrigerated truck, at a cost of $150, to help with the day's cake deliveries. And all employees will be on hand Saturday, helping bakers and decorators get each cake out on time.

"July 7 is 30 percent more than we've ever done on an entire weekend," explained Ms. Carver. "And it's all on one day."

Whether it's a yearning for an old-fashioned good luck charm or a way for women to ensure their new husbands will remember their anniversary, about 38,000 couples nationwide will take their vows Saturday, according to the wedding planning Web site The Knot.

That's more than triple the 12,000 pairs who would normally wed on a July Saturday. In Dallas, the tally adds up to 1,000 couples, also about three times the usual number.

"This is the busiest July that I've had in four years," said Dallas wedding planner Donnie Brown.

Normally, business slows after the 4th of July, said Marsha Ballard French, owner of Stardust Celebrations in Plano, which sells formal attire and offers wedding planning services.

"If it were a normal July 4th [weekend], we might have one or two weddings," she said. "Instead, we have 15 weddings."

For small specialty shops such as Sheltons Photography, an additional assignment courtesy of July 7th can mean a doubling of business. For the South Arlington studio, that translates into an extra $3,400 or so in sales, since that's what a wedding package typically costs there.

This Saturday will be a "doozy," said Cheri Sheppard, who co-owns the studio with her husband, Scott.

The holidays and June are always busy. "This year," she said, "it's June, Christmas ... and July 7."

Armed with a newly purchased $2,000 Fuji camera and some careful logistics, Ms. Sheppard said she and four other photographers will scatter among the weddings and receptions.

People in the wedding business are used to scanning the calendar, looking for memorable dates that might catch a bride's eye. New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day are always favorites, along with Saturdays in June.

July 7, a Saturday with so many sevens, was clearly such a date. Wedding planner Shari Johns was booked up for the date 18 months in advance, compared with nine to 12 months ahead for other weekend days.

Still, the frenzy caught some by surprise.

"I didn't see it ahead of time and had to cut my vacation short," said Denton area wedding planner Margaret Atkinson, who will return early from a family visit to South Carolina. "I'm starting at 7 a.m. and going clear through 12 at night."

Ms. Atkinson is also a harpist, and she'll be playing at five weddings Saturday.

She'll spend what's left of her day coordinating musicians, ministers and photographers at other ceremonies.

"The only thing comparable to this was [New Year's] 2000, when we probably did about five," she said. "This time we're doing about 14 [weddings]. They want that 7-7-7."

There are those in the wedding trade staying away from the hoopla.

Think Big and the Bulletproof Brass Band decided early on not to accept any gigs for the weekend after July 4th, planning on a break after the busy June wedding season. And then the requests started coming in.

"Looking back, we started to think, well, maybe we should've worked it," said manager and guitarist Brent Boyd. "But we're at the point now where we're not saying, 'Gosh, I wish I'd done one more gig.' "

So, while other band members are free to take on freelance assignments, the only marriage Mr. Boyd will focus on July 7 is his own. "We're going camping," he said. "I'm taking the wife and kids and going to Arkansas."

But even in Arkansas, Mr. Boyd may not escape the brides. On the one day in a century with such a broad Lady Luck smile, he's not likely to be far from some couple rolling the matrimonial dice. ALSO ROLLING THE DICE ...

San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker, 25, and actress Eva Longoria, 32, will be among the couples getting wed on Saturday.

The wedding is rumored to take place at Paris' St. Germain L'Auxerrois church.

A party after the ceremony is expected to take place in a castle famous for its grandeur and gardens, a sprawling spread where Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette was filmed in part.