Olympic Ice Dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates Marry in Hawaii (Unique)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates are ceaselessly companions!

The ice dance duo — who’ve earned a number of Olympics medals and World Championship titles collectively — tied the knot in a romantic seaside marriage ceremony in Hawaii on Thursday, June 20.

The couple tells PEOPLE they obtained the concept to have their nuptials in Hawaii since Chock’s mother and father have been born and raised there. Fittingly, they opted for a “tropical marriage ceremony theme,” incorporating a number of Hawaiian traditions into their massive day, together with a lei trade and music standard to the islands.

“The leis signify unity and the approaching collectively of separate components to make an entire higher than the sum of its elements,” Chock notes. “In marriage, you come collectively as people to create a partnership collectively.”

The three-day marriage ceremony festivities kicked off with a welcome occasion on the Queen Kapiolani Lodge in Waikiki, the place company — who included Olympic determine skaters Adam Rippon, Meryl Davis, Alexa Knierim and others — have been handled to a efficiency by Hawaiian artist Honoka whereas they performed video games and mingled. Their company then loved brunch and {golfing} earlier than everybody gathered for the marriage.  

“It’s at all times been a dream of mine to get married in Hawaii,” Chock tells PEOPLE. “We have been so excited  to share the magical celebration with our family members, a lot of whom traveled to Hawaii for the primary time.”  

The couple and their company have been additionally serenaded by native group Kailua Moon, who sang a rendition of IZ’s “Someplace Over the Rainbow” as Chock walked down the aisle to her groom. The ice dancer traded her skating costume for a custom-made Vera Wang robe, which included tulle detailing on the highest of the gown, a voluminous skirt and a low again.

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The ceremony featured private touches together with a efficiency from the bride’s mom, Barbara, who was a singer in Hawaii and Japan when she was youthful. Barbara carried out the “Hawaiian Marriage ceremony Track,” popularized by Elvis Presley within the 1961 movie Blue Hawaii, through the ceremony.

Through the ceremony, which was officiated by their skating mentor and efficiency coach Steffany Hanlen, the pair exchanged handwritten vows as they mentioned their “I dos.” Additionally they acquired a blessing from the steward of the Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute, the place they obtained married.

The bride additionally made certain to include native meals into the marriage celebration, as she famous that the very first thing she “requested to e book was shaved ice for the cocktail hour” and malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery, two standard Hawaii desserts. The couple additionally had a guava chiffon cake, which Bates says is “Madi’s favourite island taste.” 

Because the afterparty celebration obtained underway, Chock swapped her Vera Wang robe for a customized look designed by her good friend Mathieu Caron. “I needed one thing enjoyable with some sparkles, and he discovered a ravishing material embroidered with metallic palm leaves that was excellent for Hawaii,” she says.

The pair entered their marriage ceremony reception to Beyoncé’s upbeat track “XO” earlier than switching to a extra romantic rendition of “Moon River,” carried out stay by Kailua Moon, to set the ambiance for his or her first dance collectively as husband and spouse.

Chock and Bates say their marriage ceremony was a tribute to their longtime love, which initially bloomed after they started skating collectively in 2011. They finally grew to become a pair due to their “rapport on and off the ice,” and after six years of courting, Bates popped the query on June 11, 2022, throughout a trip in Phuket, Thailand. Chock remembers that she had written the date out on the sand when her ice dance accomplice stunned her by getting down on one knee and asking her to marry him.

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Now that their dream marriage ceremony is within the books, the pair — who might be honeymooning in Kauai — tells PEOPLE they’ve extra massive plans on the horizon. They’ve their sights on competing within the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, and likewise hope to additionally begin a household “someday.”

“Getting married means I get to spend the remainder of my life with my greatest good friend,” Chock says. “We’ll face the long run and share all of life’s moments collectively, supporting and celebrating one another.”

“Now we begin a model new chapter as husband and spouse, and the prospect of starting this new chapter is so inspiring,” Bates provides.