Corinne Foxx and Joseph “Joe” Hooten’s first meeting sounds like the beginning of a romantic comedy — they met at a homecoming party while both were students at the University of Southern California. At the time, Joe, now a television executive and producer, was staying with one of Corinna’s high school friends. “Even though we didn’t know each other very well, I always had a huge crush on Joe,” admits actress, writer, and producer Colleen. It wasn’t until years later that they reconnected on social media. “I liked an old picture of Joe on Instagram and he immediately sent me a private message,” she recalls. “Our first date was on a sailboat where Joe was living at the time.”
After five years of dating, Joe began planning an elaborate proposal in Ireland in the spring of 2023. The summer was over and he was recovering,” Coleen explained. “I didn’t know Joe had changed his plans so he could still propose on the same day – just in a different city. He found a park in Chicago where the cherry blossoms were in bloom and proposed there. “He flew in from Los Angeles. My mom hid my aunts in the bushes, video chatted with my dad all the time, they even planned a very special post-engagement party in my dad’s room in Chicago, but it was very intimate and meaningful.
The couple is set to marry on September 21, 2024, at Corinne’s father’s home in Thousand Oaks, California. “It was no question. We always knew we were going to get married in my dad’s backyard,” the bride said. “He has the most gorgeous estate. It already looks like a wedding venue. We can’t think of anything more special than a family wedding. It just feels perfect.”
“The day after we got engaged, we asked Jamie if we could have our wedding at his house,” says Joe. “This house was so special to the whole family that it felt like no easy task.” The Foxes spent the summer preparing the house for the wedding, including new paint, landscaping and furniture. “Even though my father has lived there for almost 20 years, the house still feels brand new,” explains Colleen.
Since their wedding would be in their home state of California, the couple knew the guest list would be long. “We wanted to find a wedding planner who could handle our big wedding while keeping it personal and intimate, and we hit the jackpot with Debbie Geller and Paige Bratt at Geller Events,” Ko Lin said. “Luckily, one of the most difficult tasks is complete: finding the venue.”
Because of this, they had to focus on some of the more fun elements, like the orchestra and catering, from the start. “I come from a musical family, so I knew finding the right band would be an important element of the night,” Colleen said. “When we saw footage of Midnight Special, I knew they were good. They also played a lot of old-school R&B music, which I knew would be a hit with my family.
When deciding on her dress, Corinne was initially confident she would go the custom-made route, but before going that route, she wanted to try on clothes and see what she liked most. “I soon realized that having a Pinterest board and trying clothes on in real life are completely different things,” Corinne admitted. “Neither of my parents were married, so I didn’t feel like my wedding was tied to anything traditional, and that started with my dress. I didn’t want anything that felt too stiff or formal. I knew I wanted something fun and classic.
With that in mind, she went to Monique Lhuiller alone one day and fell in love with what eventually became her wedding dress. “It’s light, airy, playful, but still feels beautiful,” Colleen says of her choice of a high-low printed dress. “The shoes are also very important because they are in every photo,” the bride explains. “That’s when I called in my stylists Dani and Emma to help me finalize it, they found these beautiful pearl straps from Jimmy Choos that were eye-catching but didn’t distract from the dress.
From that point on, they tried to maintain a cohesive style throughout the bridal reception and after-party. “But I loved my reception party look and it didn’t match my wedding dress at all,” Colleen admits. “[At that point,] we just said, ‘Who cares?!’ So, I ended up with three completely different looks for the entire wedding weekend, which I was really happy with. We went with what we wanted rather than trying to tell a fashion story story.”
On her wedding day, Corinna’s father walked her down the aisle. “It’s very special considering the concerns he had about his health last year,” he said. “I was listening to a string version of ‘Georgia on My Mind’ by Ray Charles. My father won an Oscar in 2005 for playing [Ray]. At the time we were walking down the aisle, nobody in the house had a look in their eyes.
“I didn’t expect to be there crying, but as soon as I saw an equally emotional Colleen and Jamie walk down the aisle, all bets were off,” Joe recalled. “I was amazed by the beauty of it and inspired by the example of Jamie’s father. The family has suffered and overcome so much during Jamie’s health crisis. Seeing us all come together in this moment opened up the floodgates for everyone. It was beautiful and completely different to what I had imagined.
The couple put a lot of thought into the look and feel of their ceremony. “We often use the term ‘secret garden’ as a reference for rituals,” says Colleen. “I always envisioned a winding aisle, and we wanted a whimsical feel.” Colleen and Joe describe themselves as more spiritual than religious, which gives them the freedom to create their own traditions—one of which is the tree-watering ceremony. “Everyone at our wedding walked down the aisle and took turns watering a small plant,” explains Colleen. “The plant represents our new life together, and the watering symbolizes all the people who pour love into our emerging new chapter.”
The Rev. Michael Beckwith officiated the ceremony and the couple decided to write their own vows. “We are both writers, so we spent a lot of time and energy perfecting our vows,” Colleen said. “We told the story of how we loved each other and how we knew we were meant to be. It was very personal. I could see our parents, family and friends crying throughout the ceremony.”
Joe said, “I was confused when the vows were read, so I took it.” It helps that Jamie periodically displays comic relief whenever he yells “Take your time, Joe!” The truth is, I already feel like Colleen and I are a family, but considering all that we’ve accomplished together, expressing our love and commitment to each other, and completing this ceremony together, kind of makes it official as a couple. It felt special for all of us.
As the ceremony ended, Pastor Michael asked guests to take community vows, followed by the rose ceremony. “He gave each of us a rose and asked us to exchange them,” Colleen said. “In this exchange, he told us that our first wedding gift was one that symbolized purity, beauty, and unity. Instead of saying we were “husband and wife,” Pastor Michael announced that we were a “team (we like this one).” Guests danced and applauded.
Following the ceremony, a cocktail reception was held on the lower lawn, with a string quartet playing contemporary songs. “We thought it would be a fun Easter egg for the younger guests to hear Kendrick Lamar and Drake on the strings,” said Colleen. After cocktail hour, guests headed to the backyard, which had been transformed into the reception venue. “My dad has hosted many parties at his home over the years, but this was the highlight,” said Colleen. “I’ve never seen such a dramatic transformation. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding venue that felt more perfect than our reception.”
Since Colleen and Joe were married on September 21, they felt the need for Earth, Wind & Fire to introduce them to September. “It was an absolute must,” said Colleen. “After the grand entrance we had our first dance. Over the years, I’ve turned Joe into a Swiftie. We even went on the Eras Tour together and I had him dress up and put friendship bracelets on it. So, our first dance was to Taylor Swift’s “Lover.” “My dad gave an impromptu speech for 22 minutes,” said Colleen. “It was part comedy special, part speech — people were falling off their chairs laughing.” Then they had father and daughter dance to a song called “Paradise,” which Jamie wrote for Colleen. “I always knew we would dance ‘up to heaven’ together at my wedding,” said Colleen. “It’s a very special song to us.”
The change in the after-party comes with a change in atmosphere – from whimsical fairy tales to late-night clubs. “We transformed the interior of my father’s house into a lounge,” said Colleen. “This is where design really makes a big difference. We used one side of the house for dancing and the other side for relaxing, eating, playing pool and smoking cigars. Because we were at the family home, there was no curfew, so we danced until 4 a.m.
