Inside Selena Gomez’s “Family” Wedding Weekend
Interior designer Georgie Hambright and marketing and communications manager Bradley Tipper, whose last name happens to be his nickname, were introduced through mutual friends at a charity event in New York City. “My business partner was dating and is now married to the cousin of one of Tipper’s good friends from college, who was dating and is now married to one of his best friends from high school. Are you still following?” jokes Georgie. “Anyway, through this elaborate web of connections, friends on both sides thought we should meet.” How they would actually make each other’s acquaintance was the tricky part. Normally a very outgoing and social person, Tipper was overwhelmed by the idea of being set up. After an initial attempt failed due to Tipper’s stubbornness, their friends continued to conspire ways for them to get together. Eventually, they settled on inviting both to attend a Young Audiences New York charity event that a mutual friend was involved in organizing.
While Tipper’s friends led him to believe that he was attending any other fundraiser, Georgie’s business partner, Jen, started laying the groundwork a few weeks in advance. “On the day of the event, she kept pestering me about what I was going to wear that night,” remembers Georgie. “I sensed something was up, and she finally confessed to the plan. After all of that work getting us to meet, the connection between us ended up being instant.”
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“I will never forget seeing Georgie walk into the party in a bright pink dress,” says Tipper. “She had an unmistakable glow, and I was immediately struck by how beautiful she was. We exchanged smiles the moment she entered the event. She was the prettiest girl in the room, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.” Georgie confidently introduced herself, knowing that Tipper might be too shy to say something. “I was completely oblivious to the setup, which allowed me to be natural and not try too hard,” remembers Tipper.
At the end of the night, in an attempt to get a few moments with Georgie alone, Tipper flagged down a cab for Jen. “When I looked back, I saw that Georgie had already jumped in a cab, too—her head was sticking out the window and she was waving goodbye,” says Tipper. “I’d missed my chance to get her number. Luckily, my friends were there to save the day yet again, and I was able to track her down and set a date for later that week. We’ve been inseparable ever since.”
After dating for two and a half years, the couple got engaged in Nantucket in the fall of 2016. “While I grew up in Texas, Tipper spent his early years living in several states across the Northeast. The one constant in his life was the fact that his family always spent summers in Nantucket, where they’d had a home for generations. It was always the place he called home,” explains Georgie. “Even before our meeting, I had fallen in love with Nantucket. This only intensified after learning Tipper shared the same love.”
“When it came time for the proposal, Nantucket was the only choice,” says Tipper. “I always like pulling off little surprises for Georgie, and the proposal was going to be my biggest yet. We had just moved in together, and I had convinced her that we should head there to sort through a storage unit that my family had that was full of furniture that we might want to bring back to New York for our new apartment. I picked Columbus Day weekend in October. In my mind, she would never expect a proposal coming in October when the island had begun to shut down for the season. The night before the proposal, we went out to dinner with one of my close friends from high school who lives on the island. My friend—aware of the real reason that I’d brought Georgie to Nantucket that weekend—invited us to Brant Point the next morning to go scalloping in the Sound. I knew that I wanted to propose by the lighthouse on Brant Point, but I also knew that it would be a challenge to get Georgie out of bed and over there early enough in the morning before the crowds of dog walkers and fisherman, so fabricating a plan of scalloping worked well. The next morning we made the short walk over toward Brant Point to go ‘scalloping.’ Georgie, who self-admittedly is not much of a morning person, was too tired to really understand what was going on. Scallops, in October, shortly after sunrise? Sure!”
As they rounded a corner, Tipper got down on one knee and proposed—and the surprise didn’t end there. “Little did I know Tipper had arranged for a photographer to hide in the dunes to capture the proposal and the moments following,” says Georgie. “It was still early in the morning and the only other people around were on the ferry making its way back to Cape Cod. The boat blew its horn and the passengers cheered and waved after recognizing that we had just gotten engaged.” A short walk up from Brant Point held another surprise, as Tipper had a boat waiting with Champagne to take them across the Sound to spend the rest of the weekend at The Wauwinet on the far side of the island. “In the end, it was my goal to make sure that Nantucket shared just as big of a place in Georgie’s heart as it did in mine,” says Tipper. “I knew that by proposing there, it would always be ‘our’ place.”
With family and friends spread across the country, the couple quickly decided a destination wedding would be best. Georgie vacationed in Mexico with her family throughout her childhood and had always been drawn to the beauty and charm of San Miguel de Allende. “Late one night, I asked Tipper half seriously what he would think of getting married there and showed him a picture,” says Georgie. “Though he had never heard of the city before that night, I was shocked when he excitedly agreed to check it out.” Thanks to its narrow and colorful cobblestone streets, beautiful courtyards and rooftops, and impressive architectural details, Tipper instantly fell in love with the town, and the two couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else.
When researching venues, Georgie came across Casa Hyder. “I knew instantly that it was the one,” says Georgie. “We secured the venue without even seeing it in person!” Georgie took her decor cues from the location—a carefully curated Spanish Colonial–style home close to the town square. “Everywhere you look there are beautiful textiles, antiques, and art . . . it’s an interior designer’s dream,” says Georgie. “I knew that I wanted to incorporate that same eclectic feel into the tent decor.” The bride worked with her wedding planner, Guadalupe Alvarez of Penzi, to create a dining tent that felt like an extension of the home—rustic yet elegant.
Choosing a dress was by far the biggest challenge for Georgie. “I must have tried on a hundred,” she remembers. “I wanted something that had a Spanish flair, but was also classic and elegant. The dress also had to be comfortable enough to wear while walking through cobblestone streets with a donkey!” She ultimately landed on an Oscar de la Renta A-line dress with an illusion neckline and large, cascading floral appliqué. “It satisfied everything I was looking for—light, festive, and timeless!” She completed the look with antique rose earrings for a romantic feel. Tipper also gave her an antique diamond and sapphire ring that had been his mother’s (passed down from his great-great-grandmother) on the wedding day as her something blue: “It was a touching way to remember his mom and have a piece of her with me during the day,” says Georgie.
Tipper was set on wearing a tuxedo, so the couple decided to dub the attire for the wedding “black tie or bow tie”—cueing their guests to wear fun colors. The groom’s custom tuxedo was by Bindle & Keep, a bespoke clothing company based in Brooklyn, and his monogrammed velvet slippers were from Broadland Slippers in England.
The Reverend Ernest Townsend of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in San Miguel officiated at the ceremony, which took place in one of the gardens on the property. A string quartet welcomed guests, and the bride walked down the aisle to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which was always a special song for the groom’s late mother, Kathy.
The couple incorporated the lasso ritual, a tradition that’s popular in Spanish, Mexican, and other Latin communities, into their ceremony. “Lassoing is a declaration of intent,” explains Georgie. “The lasso is in the form of an ‘8,’ which is a symbol of infinity and represents the couple’s everlasting union. This cord that binds you together is a symbol of your enduring relationship. Keep that relationship strong by your prayers and your own efforts each moment of your married life.”
After walking back down the aisle, the newlyweds were greeted by a mariachi band and given shot glasses of tequila. Dried flower crowns were handed out to all of the female guests. “With tequila in hand, we made our way onto the streets to start the parade from Casa Hyder to El Jardín, which is the charming town center marked by the beautiful La Parroquia cathedral,” says Georgie. As they exited Casa Hyder, mojigangas—traditional dancing Mexican puppets—and Benito the burro, decorated with fresh flowers and greenery, led the way.
Friends flicked confetti as they rounded the street, while people came out of shops along the parade route to catch a glimpse and to wish the couple well. Sunday is a popular day in El Jardín, and as the parade made its way to the main square, a large group of people started to gather around the wedding party. As the crowd continued to grow, a dance party broke out in the middle of the square. “After hearing a few chants of beso on the walk to the square, Tipper decided to lead the entire crowd gathered in the square to chant beso before giving me a big kiss,” remembers Georgie. “The tequila continued to flow all the way back to the wedding venue, and the mariachi band played as it led the party back to Casa Hyder for cocktail hour.” Margaritas and Champagne were served as guests watched the sunset over the city. “Tipper and I snuck away to the roof, with offered sweeping views of the city and Bajío mountains in the distance, to steal a moment alone together before making our way down to the other garden for the reception,” says Georgie.
The father of the bride kicked off the speeches at the end of the dinner with stories that left guests doubled over in laughter. “Never ones to miss an opportunity to roast Tipper, his two best friends from high school also spoke,” remembers the bride. “We laughed and cried during the speeches—this part of the evening was one of the more special moments of the weekend. Overcome by the emotion of the evening, Tipper also grabbed the mic and spoke a few heartfelt words. He talked about his love for me and his deep appreciation for our family and friends as well as for what was truly the most magical weekend of our lives.”
Emotions quickly gave way to celebration as the newlyweds invited everyone to the terrace surrounding the pool for dancing. Under twinkling tin stars hanging in the trees, the couple danced to an acoustic version of Elvis’s “Can't Help Falling in Love.” Afterward, Georgie and her dad danced to “My Girl,” with Tipper and the bride’s mom joining in later as a nod to the traditional mother-son dance. A local band, Los Rabeats, played a great mix and no one, young or old, left the dance floor all evening. Bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast tacos—Georgie’s favorite—were served to revelers as a late-night snack. The couple exited through an arch of sparklers and then were met by a horse-drawn carriage that made its way through the empty cobblestone streets of San Miguel to L'Ôtel, a boutique hotel near the square. “It was such a beautiful quiet moment together,” says Georgie. “Nothing but the clomp of the hoofs on the cobblestones and jingling of the bells on the reins.”
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