Though their century tree proposal was everything a traditional Aggie couple could dream of, Heather and Harvey Willis’ “Game Day” wedding was anything but the traditional ceremony.
On June 21, Heather, class of ’98, walked down the aisle in a white dress toward a bridal party in maroon and white, an officiant in a referee uniform and Harvey, class of ’01, in a No. 12 A&M jersey.
The ceremony began with a thrown flag by the “referee” for an offensive orange shirt worn by one of the guests, all of which was captured in videos uploaded to YouTube that quickly gained thousands of views.
Harvey’s sister and matron of honor, Nikki Holster, said the couple had grown up and attended college together. Holster, class of ’97, said as an exasperated and loving older sister, she was very happy to see the two finally married.
“Harvey and Heather’s relationship – I know they got engaged under the century tree, but for us it really did feel like their relationship was a century long,” she said.
To propose, Harvey took Heather to the A&M campus the day before the Cotton Bowl. While exploring familiar buildings, Heather said she asked Harvey to put a penny on the Sul Ross Statue, unwittingly assisting with the proposal plans.
Harvey asked Heather to walk under the century tree with him, she said. While walking, she turned around for a moment and, when she faced Harvey again, he was down on one knee, proposing under the limbs of one of her favorite A&M traditions.
Both Harvey and Heather are self-proclaimed diehard Aggies, and said they dreamed of going to A&M for their entire lives. Harvey’s father, class of ’65, instilled a love for the University in him as soon as he was born.
“A&M is first and foremost in my heart and always will be,” Harvey said. “My first lullaby was the War Hymn, so I had to incorporate that in the wedding somehow.”
Heather said she is a first generation Aggie, but she valued her experience at the University just as much.
“None of my family went to college, but I knew that’s what I wanted to do and my family whole-heartedly supported me and I was just really thankful that it was all able to happen,” Heather said. When planning their wedding, the couple said they wanted a small wedding to share with family and friends that represented two of their passions – A&M and wine. It was always understood the wedding would be maroon and white, Heather said, but as the planning proceeded, the presence of the Aggie spirit grew with it.
Harvey was the first to decide his groomsmen would wear jerseys, though Heather said with a laugh she was quick to veto the shorts and flip-flops he asked for. The rest of the wedding planning seemed to fall into place after that, with game day dresses for the bridesmaids, a referee shirt for the officiant and a groomsmen huddle to discuss the groom’s “I do” at one of Heather’s favorite vineyards in
central Texas.
The bridal procession began with Trace, the son of Nikki Holster, acting as drum major to properly lead the bridesmaids to the outdoor altar.
“My son was the little drum major, and I think that was a real highlight for me, because he took his job very
seriously,” Holster said.
With toasts and a bonfire wedding cake, the reception continued to mix matrimonial and Aggie traditions.
“We had a great time,” Harvey said. “We got to end the reception with the Aggie War Hymn, just as it should be in grand Aggie fashion. And we just hope everybody had a great time and remembers the highlights as much as we do.”
For a simple wedding meant to bring personal interests together, the outpouring of attention was extremely unexpected, Heather said.
“We’ve just been laughing the whole time, laughing and shaking our heads and saying, ‘This is crazy,'” she said.
Harvey said much of the media attention has been focused on the “game day” theme of the wedding, but the couple’s dedication to the University went far beyond the benches of
Kyle Field.
“It’s not a place you go, it’s a part of who you are,” he said. “And that feeling, that tradition, that emotion – it sticks with you from the moment you experience it until the day you die.”
Football teams and school traditions aside, Harvey said, the day was ultimately much more about the woman in white than the team in maroon.
“The biggest highlight of the day was watching her walk out of the little bed and breakfast in her wedding gown and knowing that I’m going to spend my future with the woman I love,” he said.