Former Houston mayor's daughter marries longtime girlfriend in historic Montrose backyard

Marquitta Parker and Elisabeth Pabst aren’t exactly high school sweethearts. Though, technically, that’s where their love story began — in the halls of Lamar High School. Back in 2009, they ran in the same social circles but never really spoke. Then Pabst, who is two years Parker’s senior, graduated and set off for Baylor University in Waco. Parker received her associate’s degree from Houston Community College. She rarely, if ever, thought about Pabst — until four years ago, when a familiar name popped into her direct messages folder on Instagram. “I’d posted a picture, and she commented something cheeky, asking if I were in a relationship,” Parker recalls. “I said, ‘No, it didn’t work out.’ But I was very dry because I wasn’t looking for anything. Liz never let the conversation end.” They exchanged phone numbers and were soon talking all day, every day. “People who know me would say I’m very persistent,” Pabst explains. “I had a gut feeling. Marquitta was very intriguing to me, there was something special about her.” The weeks after Thanksgiving 2017, while Pabst lived in Washington, D.C., were spent texting and on FaceTime. When she returned home for the Christmas holidays, Parker made an unexpected move. “I don’t know what came over me, but I invited Liz to meet my whole family,” Parker says. “Every single person loved her, and that’s saying a lot.” In many ways, the two young women are opposites. Pabst, 28, is more outgoing, the type to pursue exactly what she wants. And typically, what she wants is dessert. Parker, 26, favors savory foods and is more reserved. It takes awhile for her to warm up. For their first date, the couple saw a movie, then went to House of Pies’ Upper Kirby location. Pabst ordered her favorite slice, Texas fudge pecan pie with ice cream, while Parker ate a late-night breakfast. “I was so nervous,” Parker says. “Then, after the first 10 minutes, we were talking the entire night.” When they met each other’s families, Pabst was in for a little surprise — she hadn’t realized that her crush’s parents were former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and former first lady Kathy Hubbard. On HoustonChronicle.com: Parker, wife once swore not to marry until Texas lifted ban “I didn’t even know she had two moms,” Pabst says with a laugh. “But I walked in there cool, calm and collected. Her family really enjoys playing games like UpWords and charades, so we all sat around the table, just playing games.” Then they flipped the script and visited Pabst’s family. Parker, who is typically shy, brought her A-game. “She walked in before me and greeted everyone. And we’re talking to a lot of people and all their kids,” Pabst says. “But it was very welcoming. When you think about how a lot of families are with LGBTQ and against those relationships, that’s certainly not ours. Walking on eggshells … that wasn’t the case. So I knew, on my end, this was going to be for the long haul.” When their magical week came to an end, Pabst was devastated. She tried to concentrate on studying for the CPA exam, but her heart just wasn’t in it. “Marquitta visited D.C. in February, and when I took her to the airport, I was crying as though I’d never see her again,” Pabst says. “That was it. There’s no way I wanted to be with anyone else.” Fortunately, fate and family circumstances brought Pabst back to Houston by April. Their romance was now on Texas soil, though it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. “Reality hit,” admits Parker, who works as a law firm office manager. “We’d moved so quickly and were ready to pump the brakes a little.” But their relationship found its rhythm. They resumed weekly dates of eating through town, trying out different dessert spots and restaurants, often in search of the perfect Asian restaurant — which they later decided is Trendy Dumpling near Greenway Plaza. Parker, who has an eye for interior design, decorated her girlfriend’s new Galleria-area apartment. On weekends, they frequented Siphon Coffee, Weights + Measures and Paulie’s Poboys in Bellaire. There was a cruise vacation — Parker’s first — to Mexico in 2019 that was a disaster. She was seasick the entire trip. Then unexpectedly, something shifted in 2020 after the pandemic hit. “That year was the defining moment for me. So many people were breaking up or getting divorced, and Liz got extremely close to one of my moms,” Parker says. “They would hang out all the time without me, doing projects or playing games. Their bond was so amazing to me. I knew she was the one, but that solidified it.” Pabst has text messages saved in her phone from early in their relationship predicting the engagement. One reads simply, “I’m going to marry you.” Over the years she added mental notes of Parker’s dream ring. Reiner’s Fine Jewelry in Montrose brought her vision to life. When she asked her girlfriends’ parents for permission to propose they said, “Well, we already see you as our daughter.” Then came the hard part: keeping the secret. “I’m the kind of person who wants you to open presents before Christmas,” Pabst admits. “This was burning a hole in my pocket. But Marquitta had some restrictions: I couldn’t propose in a public place and it couldn’t be on any holiday.” So on Dec. 26, she spelled out “Marry Me” with super-sized marquee lights in Parker’s parents’ backyard, a historic house in Westmoreland District. Pabst couldn’t recall any of the words she’d rehearsed for weeks, though in the end, it didn’t matter. Parker said yes. “You would’ve thought the wedding was the next day the way we jumped into planning,” Pabst says. Instead, they exchanged vows one year later on Jan. 1, their anniversary of becoming girlfriend and girlfriend. “Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong,” Parker recalls. The morning of their ceremony was windy and rainy. A pergola that she’d draped in billowy fabric tipped over and fell into a pond. And Pabst accidentally slammed her hand in a gate. By 2 p.m.,the clouds parted over the couple’s 20 guests. Parker slipped into her wedding dress, a lace gown with a train and deep-V silhouette. “When she walked out, I teared up, of course,” Pabst says. “Being surrounded by the support team we have, and later sitting outside on the front porch with my brother, my best friend and Marquitta’s sister felt like an episode of ‘Friends.’ Being surrounded by that much love was an incredible feeling.” While the guests drank champagne, the newlyweds slipped away for a private first dance, just the two of them, swaying to Eric Benét and Tamia’s slow song, “Spend My Life With You.” amber.elliott@chron.com

Former Houston mayor's daughter marries longtime girlfriend in historic Montrose backyard

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