NEED TO KNOW
- Mary Lou Retton’s youngest daughter, Emma Kelley, married her college sweetheart Hudson Clark in Dallas on Sunday, June 29
- Emma and Hudson, who got engaged in June 2024, met as students at the University of Arkansas and began dating in January 2021
- The couple said “I do” in front of 184 guests, including Emma’s Olympian mom, her dad Shannon Kelley and her sisters Shayla, McKenna and Skyla
Emma Kelley is married!
The youngest daughter of former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton tied the knot with her college sweetheart, Hudson Clark, in Dallas on Sunday, June 29. Emma, 22, and Hudson, 24 — who met while they were students at the University of Arkansas — celebrated their wedding surrounded by 184 loved ones.
The bride tells PEOPLE that her vision for the big day was a “summer floral” theme, and she found the perfect place to bring it to life: the stunning Crape Myrtle Allee at the Dallas Arboretum. The spot’s namesake trees form an arched canopy over a stone walkway that leads to a garden filled with colorful blooms.
While shopping around for venues, Emma recalls seeing the Allee for the first time and immediately saying, ” ‘This is it! This is the one that draws me.’ ”
“My favorite color is pink, so the trees are pink, and it’s an archway of trees where I’m walking down the aisle, so it was a no-brainer,” she adds.
Emma Kelley, Hudson Clark.
Madie Grace Photography
After privately exchanging handwritten vows, Emma and Hudson — a professional football player who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent in May — recited traditional vows at the altar in a ceremony officiated by Tommy Obenchain. They were supported by a massive wedding party of 15 bridesmaids (who included Emma’s three sisters, Shayla, 30, McKenna, 28, and Skyla, 24) and 14 groomsmen.
Emma walked down the aisle to “The Blessing,” escorted by her father, Shannon Kelley. She wore a strapless dress with a corseted bodice by Jenny Yoo, which she found at Joon Bridal in Fayetteville, Ark.
Emma Kelley’s wedding dress.
Madie Grace Photography
“It was very, very big and very puffy — like a princess dress,” she tells PEOPLE. “And it had extra layers of fabric to make it even bigger.”
“I’m very simple, but whenever I tried on the big princess style, I liked the standout piece that I’m the bride,” she says of the dress shopping process. “I started crying when I put that one on.”
Emma says she was “so obsessed” with the dress that she decided not to do a second look for the reception. Instead, a bow was added to change it up a bit.
Following the ceremony, which included communion and a family prayer, the newlyweds and their guests celebrated at a reception at Rosine Hall, the arboretum’s 5,000-square-foot event space. The group enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres including caprese brochette, chicken quesadilla trumpets and mini brisket tacos.
The event’s catering was overseen by Culinary Art Catering.
The dinner menu featured salad, sun-dried tomato chicken, braised roast beef and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. For dessert, the couple chose a vanilla-flavored wedding cake designed to replicate the Arkansas Razorbacks football stadium, a sweet nod to the beginnings of their love story.
Emma says the fun cake motif was Hudson’s idea — but she was immediately on board. “I was like, ‘You know what? Heck, yeah. No one’s going to have that, so let’s be unique,’ ” she explains.
Emma’s mom, Mary Lou, gave a special toast to her daughter and new son-in-law just before the wedding cake was cut.
Emma Kelley, Hudson Clark.
Madie Grace Photography
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Reminiscing about when she and Hudson first met, Emma recalled attending a Razorbacks game against Ole Miss and watching Hudson, then a walk-on athlete, in action on the field. “I was just drawn to him by his looks,” she tells PEOPLE, before revealing that she made the first move.
“I DMed him on Instagram. I was like, ‘Hey, congrats on the game. How are you liking Arkansas type vibes?’ And then he DMed me back,” she continues.
They later spoke in person for the first time at the school’s athletic cafeteria — Emma competed with the women’s gymnastics team — and she remembers lots of nervous “giggling.” The pair started hanging out, and their relationship grew from there.
Three and a half years after they began dating, Hudson popped the question on June 28, 2024, inside a gazebo at Flippen Park in Highland Park, Texas.
They shared the big news in a joint Instagram post at the time, with Emma writing, “WE’RE ENGAGED!! Couldn’t be more excited and ready to walk God’s path together!! My partner for life, I love you. Let’s do this life together!!”
Ahead of her wedding, Emma told PEOPLE she was most looking forward to “walking down the aisle to our forever” with Hudson. “It’s a commitment of lifetime partnerships and companionship, love and sacrifices,” she adds of her vision of marriage.
Emma Kelley marries Hudson Clark.
Madie Grace Photography
Talking about her now-husband — who will learn this August if he’s officially made the Raiders roster — Emma couldn’t help but gush.
“I’m so in love, it’s insane. Oh, I love him so much,” she says, calling out his “humbleness” in particular. “He’s a very, very good-looking man, and he has never said anything about that. He is a stud of an athlete. He’s made it this far in OTAs [Organized Team Activities] and the NFL, and he’s never even boasted about his greatness.”
“He’s such a good partner for my life,” she adds. “And then his relationship with God brought me closer to my relationship with God, which is a huge deal for me.”
Looking ahead to the future, Emma says she and Hudson hope to become parents. “We want a big family already, but it’s probably not going to be for another two years after we’re married,” she notes.
Additional Credits:
Hair and makeup: Ah! Beauty
Dress alterations: Tailored to You
Florals: Betsy Baldwin
DJ: Kelly Hooper
Linens: Seat by Design