Courtesy of John Hawkins/Instagram
HGTV Host Cristy Lee Marries John Hawkins in Dreamy Michigan Wedding: ‘Short and Sweet’
HGTV star Cristy Lee is married! The Steal This House host revealed that she tied the knot with John Hawkins in November 2023.
The couple exchanged vows at the Packard Proving Grounds in Michigan, paying homage to their love for automobiles.
“We took one look at the Packard Proving Grounds and we were like, ‘This is it. This is the place. This is perfect for us,'” Cristy told People in an interview published on Friday, January 19. “It just oozed automobilia and history and had this amazing retro, eclectic car vibe. We fell in love with it on the spot.”
Cristy donned a satin dress from Revolve with a pair of Jimmy Choos for the big day. She had a magical moment while trying the dress on for the first time.
“As soon as I put it on, I knew it was the one,” she revealed. “It had this really beautiful slit up one of the legs, but the pleating of the [skirt] hid it so well. You had that opportunity to have that clean, classic A-line look but also show just a little leg, a little peekaboo, if you wanted.”
As for the ceremony, the TV personality and the General Motors engineer kept it “short and sweet” as they looked forward to the reception with their 160 guests. They feasted on New York strip steak and delicious sides and indulged in an assortment of cupcakes instead of traditional wedding cake.
The duo got engaged ahead of Christmas in 2022 after eight years of dating. While wedding planning, Cristy fell ill and was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and thyroid eye disease. She underwent two eye surgeries but was determined to have the wedding of her dreams.
“We considered postponing but then we decided, ‘We’re doing this. We’re going to do this wedding regardless of how I look or if I feel well enough. We’re making it happen,'” the Celebrity Joyride: IOU star added. “Nothing was going to take this day away from me. I thought, ‘This is my day!'”
Cristy previously opened up about her health battle in a candid post on her Instagram account.
“It’s been an extremely difficult battle to decide how, if, when I would share my journey [with] anyone outside of my close friends & family,” she captioned a video montage in August 2023. “I will live with both of these diseases the rest of my life, I’m moving closer towards remission and out of the ‘active phase’ every day, but I’m not there yet.”
