Michelle and Nico truly have the most amazing story! Three years ago, Michelle lived in NYC and worked in the school system. She took the summer off with her girlfriends and went to Barcelona. She was feeling free and excited. Within a few days she passed Nico on street while he was walking his dog and made eye contact. Michelle had just been saying to her girlfriends you don’t have to go to a bar to meet a nice gentleman to date. So she gave step-by-step instructions to her girlfriends on how to connect in a natural environment, and tried her best to pick this handsome stranger Nicholas up in broken Spanish.
Michelle waited two days and Nicholas had still not called her - so she called him and invited him to hang out…. and after that she never had to call him again! They spent two months together every day. Michelle decided that she was not going to move back to the United States. Her mom and sister came to Barcelona and said she had to go home so she did, but she went ahead had bought a return ticket before even leaving! Once back home, Michelle started giving furniture to her parents, knowing what she planned to do. They spent 10 months apart and then Michelle moved back to Spain! They consider themselves BEST FRIENDS =)
Michelle wants surprises but Nico can never pull them pull off. Michelle and Nico met in Italy with her parents. Nico asked Michelle’s parents for permission just steps from Michelle. While Michelle was waiting for a proposal, Nico’s mom ( a very social woman) was telling everyone the exciting news. Michelle and Nico were not even engaged but they started getting congratulation presents. Nico had been hiding the ring around the house and waiting for Michelle to see it and surprise her for four days! He kept moving it but she was not spotting it. Nico then decided to plan a romantic night but his mom walked in so he did not propose. When Michelle woke up the next morning, she was so surprised to find an engagement ring on her finger! On the wrong hand - what a fun and romantic proposal!
These two have the most fascinating careers - Nicholas was a professional jiu jitsu fighter in Brazil and teaches the discipline to the police department of Spain. Michelle is a speech pathologist with an online business that teaches parents how to communicate with their baby using baby signs. This method replaces crying behavior with signs. The parents start signing to their baby at birth and see signs back at 6-9 months. Amazing!
Michelle and Nico love the outdoors and always dreamed of getting married on the beach in Bimini. Their wedding is a celebration of two different cultures and backgrounds coming together to unite as one! The rehearsal dinner delighted the guests with an appearance by the local Junkanoo band! Legend has it that you haven't needed an excuse to party in The Bahamas for well over 500 years. But ask folks here at the top of the Caribbean how The Bahamas Junkanoo Tradition got started and they'll all tell you a different story; with many believing it was established by John Canoe, a legendary West African Prince, who outwitted the English and became a local hero; and others suspecting it comes from the French ‘gens inconnus,’ which translates as 'unknown' or 'masked people'. The musicians have perfected the hypnotic rhythms they performed on a cacophony of goatskin drums, cowbells, whistles and horns, and the imaginative costume designers worked non-stop to weave their own special magic with beautiful colors. The energy of the dancers and the beat of the music motivated the guests to start moving in their seats, then on their feet - wherever they found a spot from which to watch this soul-stirring festive band!
The newlyweds wedding day was absolutely beautiful! It was laid back and Bohemian with a touch of Latin sizzle. Everyone wore white - all the guests and even the vendors - which is typical of an Ibiza wedding. Guests traveled literally from all over the world to join in this fun, happy and care-free celebration! My favorite moments included a first look for the bride and groom on the deck of the roof top infinity pool, the beach ceremony with sweeping views of the ocean and the beautiful dancers that arrived to the reception donned in feather dresses dancing the night away to the live band! Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Arbe!
