Brooke Eden, a country music performer, and Hilary Hoover, her future wife, married twice to honour their union.
The couple exchanged vows for the first time in a legally binding ceremony on August 27 in front of their parents, siblings, nieces, and a nephew at a tiny white church in Nashville.
Brooke Eden, a country music performer, and Hilary Hoover, her future wife, married twice to honour their union.
The couple exchanged vows for the first time in a legally binding ceremony on August 27 in front of their parents, siblings, nieces, and a nephew at a tiny white church in Nashville.
Following the wedding, the couple and their friends went out to numerous honky-tonks in the area on a party bus to celebrate.
140 family members and friends attended the couple’s second wedding ceremony at the Paradisus Playa del Carmen resort in Del Carmen, Mexico, two months later, on October 27.
“With our families living so far away from each other (Brooke’s family is in Florida, and Hilary’s family is in Indiana), they hadn’t had a lot of quality time with each other,” the couple tells PEOPLE. “We had to get legally married in the states prior to Mexico, so we knew a Nashville ceremony with our families would be the perfect way for our families to bond.”
“It was the most amazing thing watching our families fall in love,” they continue. “Hilary’s nieces and nephew became best friends with Brooke’s niece (our flower girls and ring bearer) and so did the rest of our family. We’ve had so much support from family and friends that we really wanted to celebrate with everyone.”
Eden and Hoover exchanged vows on a bridge that over looked a beach in Mexico. They were married by their closest friend, Nashville-based photographer Ford Fairchild, and they wrote their own vows.
Eden donned the same outfit for the major event that she did for the Love Inc. magazine cover shoot that was published this week. Weeks before their wedding, she received the dress as a surprise from the designer, Savin London.
Between rings from Marrow Fine jewellers and rings from Consider the WLDFLWRS, a nearby ring store in Nashville, were worn by both brides.
The couple had their reception in an outdoor tiki palapa after the wedding and played a “selected playlist” of ’90s hits, country songs, and vintage throwbacks. Both the mother-daughter dance and the father-daughter dance were performed, and Colbee, Eden’s 5-year-old niece, gave a speech.
The couple astonished their guests by breaking into a choreographed dance to Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” after their first dance to a song that Eden wrote and recorded.
“Mexico has been such an incredible experience,” they tell PEOPLE. “Most people made a weeklong vacation out of our wedding, so seeing people from all walks of our life mingle and become friends is very special to us.”
“We got to have our wedding and then wake up the next morning and spend the day in the sun with all of our favorite people,” they continue. “We feel so lucky.”
“Our connection was immediate,” says the couple, who knew they were each other’s “person” within days of meeting.
After Eden’s coming out, the couple then got married in May 2021 with dual proposals.
“It was, as Lizzo said, ‘About Damn Time!'” says the couple. “We’ve lived together since three months in, we have a puppy and own three houses together. We knew from the very beginning this was it for both of us, but after coming out publicly last year, we knew we wanted to make it officially official.”
Eden, who released her EP, Choosing You, in July, and Hoover describe each other as “genuine” partners in their relationship.
“We support each other and always try to remember we’re on the same team,” they say. “Even if we’re upset with each other, we always kiss each other good night. We worked so hard to be together, and we’re happier than we’ve ever been. Remembering all we’ve been through reminds us we will get through everything side by side.”
Despite feeling like they have been “married for years,” the pair is happy that the law has recognised their relationship.
“[We’re excited] to walk up to a hotel and check in with the same last names, and be legally tied at a hospital, or in a court,” they say. “And also, just getting to call each other wife. That’s cool.”
Though their wedding felt like a “honeymoon,” the couple are also planning a trip to Italy and Spain in the spring.
