Third time’s the charm. Michael Phelps and wife Nicole Johnson ended 2016 with a third and final wedding celebration held fittingly on New Year’s Eve.
The couple first secretly wed in June, opting for a private backyard ceremony that was conducted for practical reasons. “It was small,” the history-making swimmer told USA Today in November. “It was our closest friends and family there. It was perfect.” The Olympian revealed in the same interview that he wanted Johnson to share the same name as their infant son, Boomer, ahead of the Rio Olympics.
The pair then followed up with a more formal wedding ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in October. The bride wore a custom piece by Israeli designer Julie Vino, who later revealed that the couple had planned their destination wedding for close to a year. “Nicole had been following my work for a while apparently,” Vino told The Knot in an exclusive interview. “Very flattering. And she actually approached me about a year ago to design her dress.”
Finally, they ended 2016 with a huge bash—appropriately held at the ultra luxe Arizona Biltmore Hotel. The couple’s year-end, black-tie reception featured plenty of glitz and Gatsby-inspired decor. Johnson looked lovely in a white encrusted gown, while her husband opted for a sleek black suit.
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Happy 2017 ya stunners! Thanks for having us out MP & Niki Nik✨
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Happy New Year to everyone but most importantly congrats to to @m_phelps00 for tying the knot!
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Guests piled into the photo booth, and the couple hilariously referred to some of the groom’s greatest moments from the Olympics. One of the accessories included a sign that read, “My Best Phelps Face.”
Johnson hinted at the third and final festivity during the 2016 Olympics in Rio. “We have a date. It’ll be a small and intimate wedding,” the former Miss California told Access Hollywood in August. “And then we’re throwing a massive bash for everyone in the States, so we’re kind of getting things rolling. I’m kind of planning as we’ve been leading up to this. So I think I have the wedding in order and it’s on to the party for the fun.”
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It’s been an amazing year!!! Pumped for 2017!! #recordyear
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Along with their mega party, the couple also looked back on the year with their top 9 photos on Instagram. “I just got emotional looking at my #2016bestnine it’s been quite the year… one for the history books hehe,” Johnson expressed this week.
