Carson Steele missed his sister’s wedding on Sunday. He had a good excuse.

The Chiefs rookie made his debut as an NFL running back in Kansas City’s 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

When Steele took a handoff from Patrick Mahomes on Kansas City’s opening drive, friends and family gathered in Greenwood, Indiana, to celebrate his sister Kesslar’s wedding. It seems there were no hard feelings about his absence.

NBC released video from the wedding reception, where Steele’s debut was a key part of the celebration. Revelers gathered around a large screen to watch Steele’s first run. He gained seven yards on second-and-4 and gave the Chiefs a first down, prompting cheers from the wedding party. The groom, identified by NBC as Jack, shared video of the moment with the network.

If Steele hadn’t been playing NFL football on Sunday night, he would have been the best man. He told the Kansas City Star he didn’t want his game to distract from the festivities. It seems Kesslar didn’t want that.

“I thought, ‘If too many people are watching the game, turn off the TV,'” Steele said. “But she just fell for it. She’s always there for me, too.”

The evening was a success for the Steele family at both locations. Judging by the video shared by Jack, everyone had a great time at the wedding. Steele, on the other hand, had a strong debut as an NFL starter in a Chiefs victory.

He finished the night as the clear No. 1 rusher in Kansas City’s backfield with 17 carries for 72 yards. Samaje Perine finished as No. 2 with six carries for 25 yards and three catches for 15 yards. That’s a scenario Steele certainly couldn’t have imagined this time last year, or even a few weeks ago during Kansas City’s training camp.

The Chiefs signed Steele as an undrafted rookie out of UCLA. It was not certain he would make the roster, let alone the starting lineup, but he made the 53-man cut in training camp and played in a limited capacity during Kansas City’s 2-0 start, hauling in nine carries for 27 yards in Weeks 1 and 2.

Then Isiah Pacheco broke his fibula last week. The Chiefs’ regular running back had to undergo surgery and is expected to be out for at least 6-8 weeks, if not longer. In a league where the next team is stronger, Steele had the opportunity to take a starting position for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

All in all, Steele missed his sister’s wedding. Which begs the question: If your brother and best man is an NFL player, why schedule your wedding on a Sunday in the fall?

“I said, ‘Hey, you can’t plan weddings in September when your brother is in the NFL,'” Steele told the Star. “But obviously she wasn’t really listening to me.”

The Star noted that Steele made his comment with a smile on his face.

It turns out the wedding was planned long before Steele’s NFL career. According to the Star, Kesslar and Jack planned the event nearly two years ago, during a period when Steele would have been either a rising junior at UCLA or perhaps even a sophomore at Ball State before transferring.

At that point, no one in the Steele family seemed to have expected Carson to make it to the NFL.