Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Marissa Phillips Marries Braden Leschber Wedding (Exclusive)

Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Marissa Phillips has tied the knot!

Phillips married her college sweetheart Braden Leschber in a “romantic, elegant and classic Italian wedding” on Tuesday, June 3, at Borgo Stomennano in Tuscany, Italy.

“What little girl doesn’t dream of getting married in Italy!” Phillips tells PEOPLE.

The couple invited 75 of their closest family and friends, including Phillips’ fellow DCC teammates who took time out of their “busy audition season” to fly out and carry on the tradition of performing their iconic “Thunderstruck” dance during reception.

“We wanted to make this celebration as special as it could be and stray away from the typical wedding scene whenever we could,” says Phillips, who appeared in Netflix’s hit docuseries America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which returns for a second season on June 18.

She continues, “We also don’t get a lot of time to slow down and enjoy the company of our friends and family, so we really loved the idea of a destination wedding, where everyone could unplug and spend time together.” 

Although the bride was born and raised in Texas, her family is Italian and has always loved the “culture, ambiance and romantic feelings” of the European country.

While wedding planning, Phillips was also surprised to learn that it was more affordable to get married in Italy instead of Texas. Weddings are “highly saturated” in the Lone Star State, so it would’ve cost “an arm and a leg” for the couple to host a ceremony there that would’ve resembled “everyone else’s wedding.” Italy allowed them to create a day that everyone would “remember forever.”

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The festivities kicked off on Monday, June 2, with a pizza and gelato-filled welcome party. Although Phillips looked stunning in her Bronx and Banco welcome party dress, it was the following day that she really turned heads while walking down the aisle to an instrumental version of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” wearing Katherine Tash‘s “Luna” wedding dress from Texas-based bridal shop a&bé.

“I honestly went in wanting a huge ball gown, which was very different from my normal style. I usually tend to be drawn to simple, classy, elegant clothing and so my mom and sister thought I would end up with a tight, all white, plain dress,” Phillips says.

The strapless gown she selected features a wide-scooped neckline and hand-draped bodice and skirt.

“I ended up picking my dress because I was blown away by the liquid-like fabric of this gown,” the cheerleader says. “It flowed beautifully, was simple but still had so much texture and playful elements, and it was the perfect mixture of a ball gown and a tight, plain dress.”

Needing a little sparkle, she rented simple diamond stud earrings and a small tennis bracelet from Verstolo. Her hair and makeup was done by The Styling Stewardess, and shoes from Bella Belle Shoes. 

Much like the black and white checkered dance floor, the bride in white juxtaposed the bridesmaids and groomsmen in black. The bridesmaids wore Kendra Scott jewelry and black dresses from Birdy Grey while the groomsmen got their dark tuxes from The Black Tux.

“The venue itself is filled with beautiful greenery, rose buses, lemon trees, etc. so we went more simple on the florals sticking to mostly whites, greens and some pops of deep fuschia and baby pink,” Phillips says. “We wanted to keep the decor simple while still feeling lux.”

Phillips’ dad died in 2021 from Lewy body dementia. Although he couldn’t walk her down the aisle, she felt he was there in spirit. The memory of her father reminds her to be “grateful that we are able to have this time together celebrating our life together.”

“Life is short, and with the passing of my father, I truly take that to heart each and every day and try to make the most of every moment that we have together,” Phillips says.

Family was incorporated into the ceremony, with Phillips’ brother-in-law officiating. The bride chose her sister’s husband to have the honor because he deeply understands the couple’s relationship and Christian faith.

The couple — who started dating in 2017 when Leschber went off to Texas Lutheran University while Phillips was attending Texas A&M University — exchanged handwritten vows in private during their first look, and shared traditional vows during their ceremony.

“[Marriage] means we are stuck with each other for life, through the good times and the bad, tied together as one under God and what God has joined together, let no man separate,” Phillips says. She and Leschber “survived” several years of long distance dating before getting engaged in the middle of the football field at AT&T stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Aug. 10, 2023.

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After enjoying some small bites during cocktail hour, Leschber and Phillips headed to their reception, where a three-course, plated dinner was served. They dined on trofie with arugula and walnuts pesto and confit yellow tomatoes; fagottino with bufala ricotta and artichokes and pecorino cheese sauce; and for, the main course, pork chops lacquered with honey and chopped pistachios, accompanied by a ginger and carrot puree.

“Being from an Italian family, food is the way to my heart as well as for many of my family members, so it is something that me and Braden both wanted to make sure was fantastic,” says Phillips, who noted that they traveled to Italy a year before their wedding to do a tasing with their caterer, Il Sorriso Ricevimenti.

For dessert, the couple opted for a traditional Italian wedding cake.

“We got to actually make the cake in front of our guests which we thought was the coolest thing ever and added an extra bit of fun to the night!” Phillips says.

“Divine” food wasn’t the only non-negotiable for Leschber and Phillips. They wanted “live music no matter what,” and hired BritPops to perform.

“I wanted my guests to feel like they were having the best night of their lives, dancing all night long,” Phillips explains. “As a dancer myself, live music can bring so much energy and excitement that you sometimes miss with a DJ.”

With them both being native Texans, it’s no surprise that Leschber and Phillips are “huge” Chris Stapleton fans. So, they chose his hit single “It Takes A Woman” as their first dance song.

To help her better “dance the night away,” Phillips’ best friend and bridesmaid, Kathryn Emily, designed her a custom after-party dress. The New York City-based fashion designer behind Belvedere Couture turned fabric, lace and pearls from the mother of the bride’s preserved wedding dress into an “adorable, vintage-looking” mini dress, as well as a bridal slip dress and robe for Phillips to wear while getting ready in the morning.

“This is so special to me because not only do I get to wear pieces of my mom’s dress, but my older sister Micaela, who just got married, got to wear the getting ready robe as well,” Phillips says.

The following day, Leschber and Phillips invited their guests to join them for a “casual” pool party with a “La Dolce Vita” theme and party games from Italian Wedding Games. They wanted everyone to “kick off their vacations” and “enjoy the beauty of Tuscany.”

The couple will have a “mini-moon” for a few days in Lake Como before their longer honeymoon after the end of the next football season in 2026. Their honeymoon had to be shortened so that Phillips could “buckle down and prepare for DCC finals,” which take place just 11 days after the wedding. She’ll be trying out for another year of cheering for DCC in hopes of cheering for her fourth season.

“After I am finished cheering we hope to start a family of our own,” she says.

The newlyweds are “excited” for what lies ahead. 

“Our life together feels easy, every challenge feels conquerable, and every day better than the last,” Phillips says. “We have been through seven years together and have already grown through so many different parts of life with one another. I cannot wait to see how we continue to support each other for the rest of our lives!”

Additional Credits:

Wedding Planner: Giulia Zambon @moments_lab

Florist: Puscina Flowers @puscinaflowers

Stationery: Creationari @creationari

Videographer: Giuseppe Piserchia Films @giuseppepiserchiafilms 

Content Creator: Unveiled Content Co. @unveiledcontentco 

Bridesmaids PJs: Piyama @piyama_co