Our Wedding!

Our Lady of Grace Church

Ceremony

Western Sky Wedding & Event Venue

Reception

Spring

Our Wedding

John and Nicole met for the first time over a game of pickleball. Depending who you ask, Cuatro (groomsman) or Shannon (his wife) were responsible for setting them up. Nicole and Shannon worked together in residency while John and Cuatro grew up alongside each other. Despite trying to hide their competitive spirits, they realized they made a great team on the court and decided to give it a shot being teammates off the court. The love story continued to blossom with nights spent at the pool and hanging out with friends. John realized Nicole had even more in common with him, when she agreed to go on a trip to Las Vegas early on in their relationship. It was evident that both have the traveling gene. In fact, there's probably few times they don't have their next trip booked. In fact, they've travelled to: Las Vegas, Barcelona, Brimfield, Prosper, Estes Park, Cancun, New Orleans and Hawaii together. These two remain grounded together by their faith. They bonded early on over being Catholic Christians. On Sundays you can usually find them going to mass at Our Lady of Grace followed by brunch at Julia's Bistro. When they aren't traveling and have time off, you can find them at whatever Texas Country Concert is playing at Floores, White Water or Gruene Hall. The story wouldn't be complete if we didn't mention their precious pups. John and Nicole have two geriatric dogs that mean the world to them. Tory is John's first dog that has been a Bragg since he started college. Her allegiance may be turning towards Nicole though since she tends to spoil them with extra treats more than she should. Oskee is Nicole's first dog as well. He joined Nicole when she started medical school and has been by her side through it all including the move to Texas. Oskee grew up living with Nicole and her two female roommates, so easy to say, he's happy to have John around for male companionship. John and Nicole have realized that although they made great teammates on the pickleball court, they make even better teammates in real life. When John proposed to Nicole, she knew she couldn't imagine playing the game of life without him.

Travel Bugs and Pickle Balls 

Our Story

Photos

Jacki & Nicole have been best friends since elementary school. Despite states apart, they remain inseparable whether that means Jacki's convinced Nicole to run a race during her trip home or Nicole has persuaded Jacki to book a trip to Hawaii. 

Jacki McKown Mateas

Stephen was the closest brother to John in age and hobbies. He was one of John's first coaches and toughest mentors.

Stephen Bragg

 Carly and Nicole met and were quickly great friends bonding over their love for Tecovas boot and Kendra Scott earrings. They  cannot wait to become sister-in-laws after this great day.

Carly Bragg

Matt is John's second oldest brother. From candy store runs as a kid to Iceland, he has been there.

Matt Bragg

Nicole and Kari met in surgical residency in 2018. Their friendship spans from the operating room, gym, nail salon and Mexican restaurants for classic chips and queso. 

Kari Smith

Ryan is John's oldest brother. He is aways the first call to help with his resume, career and life advice.

Ryan Bragg

Erika and Nicole lived together for 3 years in their Glen Oak house during medical school together. Erika is also responsible for Nicole's love IPAs and hoppy beers. 

Erika Wallace

Brian is John's cousin and been his partner in crime since he was 4 months old. He is the fifth Bragg brother.

Brian Blanco

Alexis and Nikki were cousins that grew up like sisters - they only lived a house apart from each other. You can count on them to be the instigators at the family Christmas party. 

Alexis Eberle

Jose has been John's best friend since he was five years old. He was at all the family holidays and dinners growing up and is John's first phone call to go golfing. 

Jose Perez

Lauren and Nikki are cousins as well as close friends. When they're together, you can find them outdoors in the country listening to music and talking about the good old days at Grandma Mitton's house. 

Lauren Harrison

Eric has been a fixture in John's life since they met bartending in San Marcos, TX. Most of their time together revolves around golfing and catching up on life.

Eric Brown

Katelyn & Nikki are also cousins. Despite the 10 year age gap, they share a love of playing sports, winning at cards and drinking coffees. 

Katelyn Oleson

Taylor is one of John's closest friends from Texas State. He is someone John has traveled the world with. 

Taylor Villarreal

Brandy & Nikki have known each other for 10+ years. They both love road trips, but Brandy might like them more. She has been known to fly down to San Antonio just to ride back to Illinois with Nicole. 

Brandy Simmons

Andrew is another one of John's closest friends and a fellow Bobcat. He is the friend John calls to discuss real estate, music and golf. 

Andrew Villagran

Lindsey and Nicole work together in the Surgical ICU. They bonded over summers by the pool, Koe Wetzel on the JBL and of course Singo's on Wednesday night. 

Lindsey Rippee

Thomas is one of John's oldest friends. They met terrorizing Mrs. Anderson in her second grade classroom and haven't stopped causing havoc since.  

Thomas Dunnam IV

Wedding Party

Q + A

This is where we have block rooms for the price of $149. Don't worry, breakfast is included! There's a wonderful 2nd floor patio where you can find us hanging out after the wedding. If there are any issues with room blocks, do not hesitate to call Roland Lopez! <a href="https://www.holidayinn.com/redirect?path=hd&amp;brandCode=HI&amp;localeCode=en&amp;regionCode=1&amp;hotelCode=SATKJ&amp;_PMID=99801505&amp;GPC=CBW&amp;cn=no&amp;viewfullsite=true" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Clevenger/Bragg Wedding Block</a> This is a great location for those coming from out of town. It's located midway between both our wedding venue, Our Lady of Grace, and our wedding reception, Western Sky - 11 minutes either direction. It's also 7 minutes from the airport, as well as a quick drive down 281 to be able to explore the riverwalk and other great things our city has to offer!

Holiday Inn San Antonio N Stone Oak Area an IHG Hotel

You'll find this place right across 281 from the Holiday Inn!

Hyatt Place San Antonio–North / Stone Oak

Check out the Hampton Inn in Bulverde! It's slightly closer to Western Sky than the Holiday Inn, but will put you at ~31 minutes from the church as well as downtown. It's 25 minutes from the airport. If you're looking to stay outside of the city, check out this place!

Hampton Inn Bulverde Texas Hill Country

If you're looking for a wonderful hotel with a little bit of flare, check out JW Marriott. It has wonderful accommodations including a top notch golf course and spa. The lazy river is awesome; however, San Antonio pool season doesn't usually start until the beginning of April

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa

Travel

For a first time trip to SA, the riverwalk is a must-do!

San Antonio River Walk

You should definitely check out the Pearl while in town! There is a ton of great food and local shops here. On Saturday and Sunday from 9am-1pm there is the local farmer's market which is one of our favorite weekend activities. We highly recommend you check this out!

Pearl Farmers Market

Julia's Bistro is John &amp; Nicole's favorite brunch spot on Sunday mornings. You can't go wrong ordering anything off their menu. We're a big fan of the steak and eggs or barbacoa eggs benedict!

Julias Bistro & Bar

The Alamo is a staple of San Antonio. It is the most well known San Antonio Mission. If you are in town for a few days, you should check it out downtown.

The Alamo

The 5 missions (communities) were formed along the San Antonio River beginning in 1718. These missions were at the northern frontier of New Spain, a territory of the Spanish Empire. It's a great way to experience the old culture of San Antonio, see great architecture and learn about the history here. If you visit Mission Conception - you'll see why John chose to propose to Nicole there.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Ocho is a great restaurant and/bar to check out downtown. They're chef is amazing. One of John &amp; Nicole's favorite date night spots.

Ocho

The Pullman Market is located at the Pearl. The inside is made up of a market selling goods from local vendors (which are delicious) but it also has a few smaller restaurants inside ranging from Fife &amp; Farro (Italian) to Mesquite (Mexican) with cool bars located between them.

Pullman Market

If you're feeling active, check out Eisenhower Park! It has a easy path to walk on with a tower at the top that provides a great overlook of the city. If you want more adventure, there are hiking trails throughout the park.

Eisenhower Park

Enchanted Rock is a Texas State park that is a 35 minute drive towards Fredericksburg. You can take some flat hikes around the rock for an easy stroll, or you can brace the rock and trek to the top. It short but steep!

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Fredericksburg is one of the cutest towns John &amp; Nicole frequent. Depending where you start, it's ~50 minutes away from SA. They have over 60 wineries there and are quite unique. One even has their own Rhino! Aside from wineries, the town is adorable and made up of lots of different shops. It's well worth exploring if you have the time.

Fredericksburg, Texas

If you do make the drive to Fredericksburg, be sure to check out this museum!

National Museum of the Pacific War

If Whiskey is your thing, be sure to check out Rock &amp; Rye at The Rim!

Nicole & John

Nicole & John

Photos

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