'Big Brother' Alum Corey Brooks Marries Samantha Swanson in 'Fairytale' Wedding Ceremony in Malibu (Exclusive)

Corey Brooks is married!

The Big Brother alum, 32, wed influencer Samantha Swanson in a dreamy Malibu ceremony on Saturday. 

“This wedding is my childhood dream coming true,” Swanson tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I have been thinking about getting married my whole life and bringing everything we wanted to life is surreal. Plus, having the most amazing husband by my side though it all is just a fairytale.”

The bride and groom exchanged handwritten vows in front of 115 friends and family members at the Malibu Dream Resort. 

Swanson said the pair “fell in love” with their venue the first time they toured the oceanfront destination.

"When we first arrived there was a  hummingbird playing in the front fountain," she explains. "Ever since Corey and I met, we said that hummingbirds were our good omen, so right off the bat we felt connected to the property.

The couple envisioned “a fun getaway weekend” for their big day with their “favorite people in the middle of our two favorite things - the mountains and ocean,” she adds. 

The celebration, planned by Fawn Events, took full advantage of the grounds at the resort, including a transformed tennis court covered in an ivory carpet with lounge areas, pendant lights, disco balls, and striking florals from Creative Light Design adorning the space.

“We wanted to keep the ceremony intimate, heartwarming and uplifting,” Swanson says. 

Brooks chose a velvet jacket and tapered black pants by State & Liberty, while Swanson walked down the aisle in an off-the-shoulder gown with a corset detail from Kinsley James and designed by Blue Willow.

During the reception, the bride changed into a second dress by Lee Petra Grebenau. “I wanted two very separate looks! One to be more classy and timeless and the other fun and comfortable to dance in all night long,” says Swanson.

The intimate Malibu celebration brought friends and family of the couple's from near and far. Guests dined on a buffet dinner by chef Amy Jurist. Appetizers included mushroom fries, tuna tartare cones, pork belly skewers, and baja fish tacos, while dinner was an apricot goat cheese salad, wild rice pilaf, green beans, filet with port porcini sauce, and salmon with cajun honey sauce.

As a sweet touch, desserts featured their the two-tier wedding cake from Susie Cakes with carrot cake and celebration flavors, plus bite size Nutella banana spring rolls, blueberry cheesecake cups, and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. 

Former NFL player Matt Leinart, a close friend of the couple, officiated the ceremony. 

“We’re just super grateful to have somebody to look up to in our life,” Brooks said of Leinart in a video that the couple shared while documenting the process of asking Leinart to take on the role at their wedding. 

The newlyweds first met through TikTok after Brooks appeared on Swanson’s page. Her “jaw dropped” because “obviously, he’s gorgeous!” she says. The couple then exchanged DMs before they met up for a beach date in May 2020. They later got engaged on the two-year anniversary of the day they met. 

"Both Corey and I take being husband & wife very seriously,” Swanson says. “We both are so excited to create a life and family together. We are both looking forward to having kids, so getting married is the commitment not only to each other but our future family together.”