Michael Phelps and Nicole Johnson wed on Saturday in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. (That is, for the additional time, as they’ve been secretly affiliated aback June.) For her big conjugal moment, Johnson — who switched her Instagram handle to Mrs. Nicole Phelps within hours of the ceremony — chose a clothes by Israeli artist Julie Vino.
And, as Vino tells PEOPLE exclusively, the helpmate was captivated about her look.
“She did not want the acceptable conjugal gown,” Vino tells PEOPLE from her home abject in Tel Aviv-Yafo. The form-fitting architecture featured a abysmal V-neck, cap-sleeve bodice fabricated with French applique and hand-stitched adornment and a cottony chiffon brim with a about five-foot-long train, a customized aberration of the designer’s “Erin” gown.
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“She capital article that was a little added amenable and flowing, and a aperture up the side,” adds Vino. “She consistently capital article with a slit. It was article that she had in her arch from the beginning.”
The new Mrs. Phelps absolutely accomplished out to Vino to actualize the look. “Nicole was addicted of me for a few years, apparently, and contacted me and asked me to accomplish a dress,” says Vino, whose dresses ambit from $7,000 to $10,000 and are accessible in 30 conjugal salons about the world.
The artist (pictured aloft with Johnson) says she knew who Michael Phelps was, too, of course. “I’m a huge fan,” she says. “And Boomer is acutely cute.”
Vino started alive on the architecture “after a accomplished agglomeration of emails and Skype calls,” she says. “I got the basal abstraction of what she was attractive for and sketched a brace of dresses for her. She absitively what affectionate of appearance she admired and that’s how we landed on the final dress.” (See the absolute account of the clothes below.)
Given that the artist is in Israel, Johnson and Vino formed calm to get the fit aloof right. Johnson beatific the Vino aggregation her basal abstracts and again Vino went to assignment on the look. Johnson had one and alone applicable in New York, while Vino was in boondocks for Conjugal Fashion Anniversary in October.
“When we did our aboriginal fitting, the dress fit her about perfectly,” says Vino, who added that Michael Phelps and their adolescent Boomer backward abaft at the auberge during the fitting. “Nicole came with a brace of her accompany and Facetimed with her mother. She didn’t appetite to booty the dress off. She was arrant and anybody was happy.”
However, it bare a little added assignment afore the big day. “She had absent a some weight, I accept like every helpmate does, so we did a few added alterations on her,” she says. “Then we beatific the dress aback to Israel to do the final alterations, and beatific it aback to her about a anniversary and a bisected ago afore the wedding.”
And what did Vino anticipate back she saw the photos? “I was acutely blessed for them,” she says. “It fit her perfectly. She looks amazing.”
This is aloof the alpha of Vino and Johnson’s relationship, too. “I had a abundant affiliation with Nicole,” says Vino. “She’s fun to assignment with, and we’re absolutely activity to be alive with her in the approaching for added things. We already started alive on something. It’s advancing soon.”