A First Look at the WrestleMania Week Wedding of Lilian Garcia (Exclusive)

The world of pro wrestling helped bring Lilian Garcia and her husband together, so why not honor that industry and their love for one another with a wedding ceremony to start the biggest week of wrestling's calendar year.

You know Lilian Garcia. She's a WWE Superstar, the voice of the Attitude Era, and a longtime ring announcer for the company. Her husband and the man other men are jealous of? That's Patrick Ellrich. The week is WrestleMania week for the WWE.

"It does make too much sense," Ellrich said of a WrestleMania week wedding. "Yeah, it's like, boom, we get married, and then we're off to Vegas for a WrestleMania honeymoon."

Simple not stressful

Liian Garcia and Patrick Ellrich — Lilian Garcia and Patrick Ellrich | Photo Credit: Macy O'Connell

"Yeah, we were gonna do a bigger wedding with more friends, Garcia said. "Trish Stratus was ready to fly in. Candice Michelle, like yeah, there were some people that were ready to fly in. But as we were preparing, it started getting very overwhelming. So, the joy started depleting and the stress of it started piling on.

"I went into my prayer closet, which has been so vital for me in receiving Christ. I went in there and I'm talking to God, and I'm just literally, like, 'God, I know this is supposed to be about the unity of us and you being there to unite us. Why is this becoming so overwhelming and so stressful?' And all I kept hearing was, make it simple. Make it simple."

And simple was exactly what happened. Well, aside from it coinciding with thousands of pro wrestling fans taking over Las Vegas. Garcia and Ellrich talked exclusively with The Takedown on SI about their poetic wedding day. "Perfect." "Intimate." "Beautiful." Those were only a few words they used to try and describe it.

"We could not have orchestrated this any better," Garcia said. "During the ceremony, we were overlooking a bridge and you could hear the water flowing and the birds chirping. It was so peaceful. The whole vibe was peaceful."

Lilian Garcia and Patrick Ellrich | Photo Credit: Macy O'Connell

Garcia and Ellrich were married on Sunday April 12. The original plan was for Garcia and Ellrich to elope. Instead, friends of the couple, Jamie and Jason Symons, wanted to throw them an intimate barbecue and they were grateful for it.

"We were just going to elope on a bridge and they were like, 'we really want to throw you this barbecue,'" Garcia said. "It's right down from where they live. There's a patch of grass that is beautiful. It's up on a hill and it overlooks the hike that I went on that led me into Proper Hop Taphouse, which led me into meeting Patrick.

"So, it's pretty cool that (we were) able to have this ceremony there. It was so serene and so beautiful. You could actually see the bridge that we were going to get married at, which was the bridge that I crossed into his place. So it's like, this is absolutely perfect. (We did) the ceremony there, and then joined the barbecue."

Stunning, intimate, and charming

Garcia looked stunning and like a WWE Superstar practices, she had wardrobe changes set for the evening. Garcia had an elegant white dress for the ceremony, which she said was similar to the look and feel of an event like Saturday Night's Main Event. Garcia changed into more casual attire for the reception barbecue, which she called an edgier look that would fit television broadcasts like Raw or SmackDown.

While intimate and charming, Garcia and Ellrich included some standard wedding traditions on their big day. The couple had a first look prior to the ceremony at Proper Hop Taphouse and then a first dance as husband and wife later in the night. Because both her parents have passed, Garcia was walked down the aisle by her sister, Dalia.

Lilian Garcia and her sister Dalia | Photo Credit: Macy O'Connell

"We invited everyone to join us (for the first dance)," Garcia said. "Everyone just wanted to watch us. "The song was Close Your Eyes by Michael Bublé," Ellrich said. "We have a couple Michael Bublé songs we feel like are our songs. That was one of them."

In one of the most eloquent moments of the night, Garcia said that the pastor organized a tradition called Laying Hands With Prayer. Garcia and Ellrich both paused in reflection before talking about the moment. Attendees at the wedding were invited to touch the newlyweds and pray for them together. Garcia said it was a "powerful moment" that she would never forget.

Did Garcia have any issues with expectation? Was she worried about the perception of her, a WWE Superstar, getting married without enormous fanfare and production? Yes for both. Garcia openly discussed feeling those exact pressures and overcoming to have the wedding she and her now husband wanted to have.

"I had a hard time," Garcia said. "And I want to admit this, I had a hard time because of the image of being a WWE Superstar. Like, this isn't big enough for what people's perception of what it should be. I had to fight that.

"And when I got to that simplicity, or kept hearing the simple, and then talked to Patrick about it, and even him saying, 'babe, this isn't about image. Like, remember what this is all about.' I'm like, 'you're absolutely right.' And we can get so caught up in that. In the image of social media and the status symbol. We forget what the core importance of things are."

"I like to use my voice to help people"

Garcia and Ellrich have had previous marriages with one of hers being annulled and that reality was something she made a point to address head on. Not for herself, but for others.

"There's a lot of people that look down on others who've been married multiple times," Garcia said. My past relationships reflected where I was in my life at that time. and they've been important learning experiences. That's why it's important to focus on working on yourself, including getting rid of past traumas, so that you can make better choices.

"It's also important to be ok being single first, so that you don't choose someone based on the fear of being alone. I like for (my story) to be a teaching lesson to help others along the way. To not be so embarrassed about your past choices. There's been a learning lesson in each one. Patrick and I both are aligned in that."

Now that Garcia and Ellrich have tied the knot, what are they going to do? They're going to WrestleMania!

Fitting. First, this will mark Ellrich's first-ever trip to WrestleMania. He's a former pro wrestler, who's recently got back into the business and started training again at The Nightmare Factory. Ellrich is excited to say the least.

"I can't hide how I am absolutely over the moon excited I am to be going to WrestleMania," Ellrich said. "In Vegas and a couple days after we get married? With Lilian Garcia? I'm so excited. I love the lineup of matches. I'm pumped about getting to go to the Hall of Fame as well. Getting to see what she's (Lilian) doing with Trish that week and then getting to just run around WWE World for a few days as well? I can't hide my excitement."

WrestleMania 42 weekend in Las Vegas is the mini honeymoon for Garcia and Ellrich. In July, the newlyweds will head to Spain for the big honeymoon. That trip isn't fully planned yet, but they'll start and end their journey in Madrid.

A WrestleMania honeymoon

Lilian Garcia, Patrick Ellrich, and Xavier Woods | Photo Credit: Macy O'Connell

As for WrestleMania week, Garcia will be a newlywed, but will also hold down the fort in the role she's known for decades in front of wrestling fans. WWE Superstar.

"So, we leave Wednesday to go to Vegas, and then Thursday, I have a Make-A- Wish event, which is awesome in the morning," Garcia said. "Then I'm doing a signing for Topps ... And then I'm doing Trish's event. So, Thursday, and that starts at five o'clock. It's taking photos with fans and I'll be moderating the Q and A that night. She and I got tons of questions.

"Not a lot of people know that she and I traveled together her entire career. She was there seven years straight, She and I rode together for that whole time. We have stories. We have many stories. So we're going to share some of those stories and then answer the Q and A's on Thursday night. I'm supposed to be doing something at WWE World Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Friday night is Hall of Fame"

Just a couple things going on. Such is the life of a newly married WWE Superstar.

"Wrestling has just kind of seamlessly integrated itself into our lives," Ellrich said, It feels very natural. Kind of like everything else in this relationship. Just natural and everything just feels right. It's a lot of fun just getting to get to share a business that we love so deeply, and share that together. It's a part of our relationship."

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