On October 24th, 2009, Morgan Hopkins said “I do” to David Hart at Heather’s Glen. The two were childhood friends, brought together by their families, who were close before they were born. The story of their families’ connection is quite unique and fascinating.
Morgan’s father was a police officer for Harris County Sherrif’s Department, and his partner and best friend was Virgie Arthur. Virgie is the groom’s grandmother. Virgie mentioned one day to Officer Hopkins how her daughter was so poor that she couldn’t afford to get her hair cut. He responded that his wife, Morgan’s mother, could cut her hair for free because she had her own salon. Virgie told her daughter the offer and she of course took it. That was the beginning of the close friendship between Morgan’s mother, Deborah, and Virgie’s daughter…Anna Nicole Smith.
“Yes, the one and only,” Morgan said.
Morgan’s mother and Anna became best of friends when she began cutting her hair. Anna became like a second mother to Morgan. Her son, Daniel, and her nephew, David, and Morgan spent a lot of time together at Anna’s home when she threw parties. “Tragedy struck in my family in 1996, when I was 7 years old,” Morgan explains. “My dad passed away. When he passed away, a lot of people in our families blamed each other, and our family ties were broken.” The families went separate ways: Anna moved to California, and Morgan and her mother moved to Magnolia, Texas. While the passing of Morgan’s father seemed to drive the families apart, they were again drawn together at the untimely death of Anna. In 2007, when she passed away, Morgan’s mother called her, crying hysterically with the news. Morgan left her high school broadcasting class to be with her mother, and placed a phone call to her teacher explaining her sudden exit. Her teacher was skeptical, because she had a student in her other class who was Anna’s nephew, and told Morgan so. They put two and two together, and the two childhood friends were reunited; unbeknownst to them, they had been going to the same high school! They spent the evening together watching home videos of themselves with their families.
The two became inseparable. They went to the Bahamas together to visit the grave sites of David’s aunt and cousin. Together they bought their first home in January of 2009, and then celebrated their two year anniversary in Cabo San Lucas in June. There on the beach, David got down on one knee, pulled out an engagement ring and asked Morgan to marry him.
Morgan was especially touched to find out that, in preparation for the engagement, David took Morgan’s mother to Morgan’s father’s grave to ask them both for permission for her hand in marriage. “We have such a great history together, with our families, and he is the only friend I have who knew my dad, which means so much to me.”
Morgan wore a lovely gown from Brickhouse Bridal, where she chose her cranberry, floor-length, strapless bridesmaids gown as well. She carried roses and orchids wrapped in pearls, and her bridesmaids carried stargazer lillies and roses.
Heather’s Glen was the second location the couple toured. “We knew that we had to get married there because our dream home has always been a beautiful, white, colonial style mansion. Always. if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely still get married at Heather’s Glen. Everyone who worked there was incredibly nice and the place was so beautiful, and everything went absolutely perfect! It was hands down the best day of our lives.”
Congratulations to Morgan and David! May your married life together be an adventure full of love!
After the Ceremony
Morgan and her bridesmaids
Photography by John Stone / johnstonephoto.net / 832.656.7440
