The 27th season of The Bachelor didn’t bring bachelorette contestant Aly Jacobs together with that season’s bachelor, but it did play a role in her recent wedding to Joshua Harrell at The Blue Magnolia in The Woodlands’ region. While Jacobs and Harrell met at a Zac Brown Band concert just before she left for the reality TV show’s taping in September of 2022, it wasn’t until a watch party for that Bachelor season’s airing in 2023 that the two connected.
“I hosted a small watch party with friends to celebrate the show airing,” Jacobs tells PaperCity The Woodlands. “From that moment, we clicked and haven’t stopped talking since. Knowing my love for food, he took me to some amazing restaurants for our first few dates, one of them being Bones Steakhouse in Buckhead, Atlanta.
The couple’s first real date came at Eclipse di Luna, a vibrant Spanish tapas bar in Atlanta with live music and salsa dancing.
“His plan was for us to dance, let loose and just have fun,” Jacobs says. “But the moment he stepped onto the dance floor, I quickly darted away, too shy to join in. He still teases me about it to this day. We spent the night enjoying incredible food, sipping wine and getting lost in conversation.
“Neither of us wanted the night to end so we went to Jeni’s afterwards to grab late night ice cream and talk more.
The pair returned to Bones Steakhouse 18 months later on National Girlfriend Day.
“I thought he was just being sweet and a little corny, but as we sat near the wine cellars, he got down on one knee,” Aly Jacobs shares. “I completely blacked out from the shock, but it was the sweetest, most intimate moment of my life.”
Making It a Texas Wedding
At one point, the couple considered a micro wedding with just immediate family, but in the end, decided on The Blue Magnolia, a still new wedding land in Magnolia.
“With so many of our guests traveling from all over — from Germany to upstate New York to California — it was really important to us to find a venue that could serve as both a beautiful backdrop and a seamless all-in-one location for the entire day,” Jacobs notes. “We wanted our friends and family to feel relaxed and taken care of — without the stress of navigating between multiple locations.
“The venue we chose had everything we were looking for: a stunning ceremony space, a charming area for cocktail hour, and an elegant yet comfortable reception hall. All within walking distance of each other. It allowed the day to flow naturally from one moment to the next, keeping everyone connected and present.
“Plus, the setting itself captured the exact vibe we were going for — welcoming, romantic and uniquely us.”
One of Aly’s favorite details turned out to be the groom’s cake from Cakes by Gina.
“It was such a fun and personal touch, especially since the groom doesn’t always get as many opportunities to showcase his personality throughout the wedding planning process,” she says. “So much of the decor and aesthetic tends to reflect the bride’s vision. So seeing a moment where he could truly shine was really special.”
Still, the most special part turned out to be the happy Texas wedding memories made at Blue Magnolia.
“This will likely be the first — and maybe only — time that both of our families will be together in one room, creating memories we’ll cherish forever,” Jacobs says. “Our wedding was a romantic blend of timeless elegance and modern minimalism. We wanted the day to feel personal and effortlessly beautiful.
“From the venue to the decor everything was curated to reflect a sense of understated luxury and genuine love. It felt like a perfect reflection of us. Classic, a little bit modern, and full of heart.”
It turns out that getting married in Texas pays off. So does finding love off screen.