Houston Wedding at Magnolia Manor | Brooke + Patrick

The rain on Brooke and Patrick’s day turned out to be a gift. A downpour changed their original plan to exchange vows in a gazebo with guests looking on from the lawn. Instead, says Lauren, “As “Cosmic Love” by Florence and the Machine beautifully played on the piano, my groom, our family, and the wedding party made their way down the aisle to gather under the gazebo. With rain falling, a cello version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in the background, my dad walked me down the aisle, umbrella and all. Our officiant led a beautiful sermon, followed by Patrick and I reading our own handwritten vows to one another, closely surrounded by the most important people in our lives. Our friends and family looked on from the venue balcony, the venue doors and some even stood out in the rain (with and without umbrellas) to witness our lifelong commitment. The one thing that stressed me out the most was the one thing that ended up making our wedding day absolutely perfect. “

If you think that sounds sweet and magical, wait until you see the pictures!

And here’s another darling fun fact—Brooke and Patrick have a date night every week at the place where things really began between them. These two met thanks to Brooke’s older brother, Blake, who had been friends with Patrick for years. At the time, Brooke was in college and living in College Station. On her trips home, she and Patrick would cross paths, but not in any kind of meaningful way…until one night at Mr. Sombrero. Brooke met her brother and some friends there that evening, and Patrick was there, too. Says Brooke, “We hit it off pretty instantly and dinner turned into a night out. We’ve been together ever since and still make Mr. Sombrero a weekly date night.“

CUTE, right?

There’s a lot more to love about these two and their wonderful wedding at Houston’s Magnolia House! Brooke gives us the scoop on her Lea-Ann Belter Daria gown and their day (plus the two of them give the sweetest planning advice ever) below:

How did you guys meet?

“Patrick and I met while I was away for college and living in College Station. Patrick and my older brother, Blake, had been friends for many years. When I made trips home I would occasionally see Patrick, but the timing was never right for any kind of connection. In November 2013, I met my brother and some friends at Mr. Sombreros for dinner, Patrick was there, too.”

Houston wedding at Magnolia Manor - Lea-Ann Belter Daria with custom jacket

bride’s finery: Lea-Ann Belter Daria gown and custom jacket via Belle Ame Bridal | photography: Forever Photography | sfull vendor list below

How did you know Patrick was “the one”?

“I knew right away that there was something different with Patrick. I knew he was the “one” when I could never get enough time with him. We were constantly together and constantly wanting to be together. We had fun just “doing nothing,” we were silly, genuine, and inseparable. I knew that I wanted a partner like that in my life forever. He was, and still is, truly my other half.”

How did your sweetie propose?

“Shortly after celebrating our 5th anniversary, we took our annual trip to Utah for Thanksgiving to visit family. Patrick had been trying to get me to go on a hike throughout the week and I kept putting it off, but the day before Thanksgiving, I decided I was finally ready. We make this hike every year and we always push ourselves to make it to the top. There’s a small wooden bridge near the peak of the mountain with a waterfall flowing nearby, it’s our favorite spot on the hike. Patrick brought a tripod and was taking pictures of us the whole way up. So when he went to set up for a picture at the bridge, I thought nothing of it. Standing on the bridge waiting for our “picture,” Patrick got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. It was the absolute easiest “YES” of my entire life! We cried, kissed, and admired how good the ring looked on my finger. Then, he told me the entire proposal was caught on video (shout-out to my sister-in-law for letting him know I REALLY wanted my future proposal to be photographed!). It was a perfect moment followed by a long hike down the mountain, talking about all of the plans we had for our life together.”

How did you choose your gown?

“I had a vision of what I thought I wanted, but after trying on a handful of dresses, that vision was fading fast. My sweet mom urged me to try one last place, so we made a last-minute appointment at Belle Ame Bridal. I tried on a couple more dresses before Lynda, one of the owners, pulled something for me “just to try.” It was completely different than what I originally wanted, but I figured it was worth a try. Lynda helped me into the dress and as I stood there in the dressing room mirror, I felt something I had not felt before. Waiting for me in the showroom was my team of troopers. As I walked out, my mom, grandma, sister-in-law, and best friend all gasped while tears filled their eyes. I felt happy tears streaming down my face and knew, without a doubt, we had found the one! I want to include a special shout-out to my mom, who without reservation, was willing to do whatever she possibly could to make sure I had the wedding gown of my dreams. From this moment until the very last seamstress appointment, my mom was my cheerleader in making me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.”

Tell us about your day!

“I knew I wanted the day to feel romantic and traditional. However, I still wanted to incorporate the fun and laid-back elements that make Patrick and me “us.” We decided on a black and ivory color theme with white flowers, greenery, and tons of candles (thanks to our family who had to light every single one!). We had a wedding party of 20 and a guest list of about 200 people. My biggest stress leading up to the day was the weather. We’re in Texas and even in January you never know what you’re going to get. As my luck would have it, we had a downpour of rain scheduled to arrive on the hour of our vows. My wedding coordinator, Jess, asked me to make the call and I decided we would continue outside. As “Cosmic Love” by Florence and the Machine beautifully played on the piano, my groom, our family, and the wedding party made their way down the aisle to gather under the gazebo. With rain falling, a cello version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in the background, my dad walked me down the aisle, umbrella and all. Our officiant led a beautiful sermon, followed by Patrick and I reading our own handwritten vows to one another, closely surrounded by the most important people in our lives. Our friends and family looked on from the venue balcony, the venue doors and some even stood out in the rain (with and without umbrellas) to witness our lifelong commitment. The one thing that stressed me out the most was the one thing that ended up making our wedding day absolutely perfect.

Our reception kicked off by having our wedding party make their entrance to the 90’s hit show “All That” theme song. My husband and I are massive Houston Rockets fans, so we made our grand entrance to the Rockets Championship Era intro song! The rest of the night was filled with good food, dancing, laughter, happy tears, fun…and lots of specialty cocktails (Bride’s: DSV – Diet Sunkist and Vodka, Groom’s: Crown and Coke).”

What was your first dance song?

“Our first dance was “Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison. We also had a private dance together at the end of the night before our exit, “We’ll Be Okay” by Imaginary Future and Kina Grannis. It’s worth mentioning that we took dance lessons 9 days before the wedding, bless our instructor’s heart when we told her that!”

One detail you couldn’t live without?

“It goes without saying that without our parents, none of this would have been possible. Without our family, wedding party, wedding coordinator, and friends, our vision would be nothing. Without my sister-in-law Megan, who was my absolute guiding light, I never would have made it through wedding planning. But there were details we couldn’t live without. For me, our photographs were at the top of the list. And man, we had the best of the best when it came to photography. I also couldn’t have envisioned my wedding day without both of my grandparents being able to attend, my heart is forever happy that I got to share our day with them. And the last detail I couldn’t live without was saying “I do” to the man of my dreams, outside at the spot we originally planned, surrounded by those who have supported us every step of the way. Rain or shine, that is all that mattered.

For my less sappy husband, his was having suits that fit properly, closely followed by our guestbook cards and bar stocked with Crown Royal. “

Describe your wedding day in 5 words or fewer:

“Romantic, intimate, emotional, joyful, and fun.”

What was the funniest moment of your day?

“The funniest moment was my dad coming up to me at 6:30pm, two hours after the bar opened, to tell me we had completely run out of vodka! All of our meticulous calculations had failed us but that’s where good friends come to the rescue. Our family friend Mark rushed to a local liquor store and came back with plenty to re-stock the bar, earning him the title of “Wedding Day MVP”!”

What was your something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue?

“Something old: My great grandmother’s earrings. Something new: My wedding gown, hair comb. Something borrowed: My mother’s diamond necklace. Something blue: My garter said “Mrs. Simmons” in blue stitching.”

Three words that best describe your partner:

“For him: Silly, thoughtful, ambitious.
For her: Fun, caring, down-to-earth.”

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

“We were planning our honeymoon to Hawaii in April 2020 but wanted to still have a quick getaway right after the wedding. We went to Las Vegas for 4 days and it’s a good thing we did because shortly after returning, COVID-19 made its grand entrance. We have not been able to take our true honeymoon yet, but we are thankful for the memories we made as newlyweds during our Vegas getaway.”

Any advice for future brides/grooms?

“Embrace the moment, I know it is easier said than done, but really try to. Things will go wrong, things may not look as perfect as you wanted, but everything will turn out exactly the way it is supposed to. Soak in every minute and enjoy the love that is surrounding you. Most importantly, remember to have FUN!

Message from the groom: There is a point in the engagement where she will lose all sense of reality (she will never admit this happened, by the way). Hold on tight and do whatever she says! You are almost there.”