“Dancing With the Stars” Pro Koko Iwasaki and Kiki Nyemchek Are Married! Get an Exclusive Look at Their Forest Wedding in Oregon

Koko Iwasaki, a Dancing With the Stars pro, and choreographer Kiki Nyemchek are proof that onscreen chemistry isn’t always just for the cameras. The professional dancers, who met in May 2017 on So You Think You Can Dance, paired up for a steamy salsa number that ended in a kiss (that was choreographer Val Chmerkovskiy’s idea—so he just might deserve credit as their matchmaker). The duo ended up in the top four that season, and walked away hand-in-hand as real-life partners. They’ve been together ever since.

The couple got engaged just over five years later, in November 2022. “We went to Big Bear with our two pups for a little vacation and he surprised me with a proposal on a beautiful lake,” Koko tells Brides exclusively. “He had all the family on FaceTime and had our friends come and photograph and tape the moment. It was perfect.” The couple kept it coastal when selecting their wedding venue, Crook Point, in Pistol River, Oregon. “Kiki and I both wanted outdoor energy for our entire wedding weekend. Our wedding planners, SAMKOMA, showed us this venue and when we took a visit, it felt like a dream,” explains the bride. “I love the mountains and I just knew I wanted to be surrounded by them—and we wanted our family and friends to experience the magic of the Pacific Northwest.”

They let the beauty of the location—which was the selling point, after all—inform the big-day design direction, which planners Josiah Carr and Justin McGregor were more than happy to roll with. “We really didn’t want to attach a theme to our day,” says Koko, noting that their goal was to plan an event that was simple, elegant, and timeless. They drew on colors already represented in the nearby forest’s summer landscape on one side of the venue and the ocean on the other, crafting a celebration that put experience at the forefront. “Great food, great music, and great quality time,” affirms the bride.

The crescendo of the evening, surprisingly, wasn’t their first dance. “Because we as a couple always perform and choreograph dances for our work, we felt it was more special to truly be in the moment and improvise,” says Koko. “We wanted to not stress about the pressure of performing a routine, so we slow-danced naturally and it was perfect. I just followed Kiki’s lead.” 

Now on the other side of their big day, they’re looking forward to leading each other through the rest of their lives. “Being married to Kiki feels like everything in life happened exactly the way it was supposed to,” shares the bride. “He is my best friend, dance partner, and the love of my life all in one. Loving him is easy and being married to him makes me feel really lucky and giddy inside. It feels exactly right.” Kiki couldn’t agree more: “I feel like an absolute rockstar and like the luckiest guy in the world. I feel privileged to have a best friend and a wife in one person. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my days with her by my side,” he told Brides.

Ahead, see every photo from their organic Oregon celebration for 100 guests on July 27, 2024, which was all expertly captured by Shannon Yen. 

Koko, who loves a good DIY project, designed, printed, and assembled the couple’s wedding invitations. “I also handled almost every sign seen throughout the wedding weekend,” she says. “I designed all the menus, designed and printed the welcome cards, and also customized a selfie mirror for our guests to take pictures in.”

Following their Thursday rehearsal dinner, the couple threw a welcome party on a secluded beach the next night to greet all of their wedding weekend's guests. "Our beach party was on a private beach at Crook Point and we had all our favorite people there with this incredible view," says the bride, who wore an off-the-shoulder silk dress from Grace Loves Lace (Kiki opted for a white button-up, Scotch & Soda jeans, and a bandana). The group mingled and noshed on s'mores fireside thanks to a beach bonfire and swayed to a playlist personally curated by the groom.

For the ceremony, the bride selected a Duchess satin, A-line wedding dress from KYHA, complete with a structured bodice, plunging low back, and full skirt with a slit. “It was the very first dress I tried on,” she says. “I always had this one in the back of my mind, but after shopping at five stores, I was quite overwhelmed. After three days of dress shopping, I had a dream of myself wearing that first KYHA dress. I called first thing in the morning and went to buy it.”

Her best advice for brides currently on their own wedding dress shopping journeys? “Everyone always says when you know, you know—and it’s true,” she says. “Listen deep down and follow what your gut and intuition says. Listen to your friends and family with open ears, but don’t let them dictate your final decision.”

Bella Belle heels and a custom veil by Jessica Keife, the owner of JayKay Braids and Bridal (“It was such a lovely process designing a veil with her!” says Koko), were the finishing fashion touches; natural glam (which was effortless thanks to the bride’s Korean skincare routine), a slicked-back bun (her go-to look), a chrome manicure, and a spritz of Matcha 26 by Le Labo brought it all together.

The couple’s florist, Stella Rose Floral, designed Koko’s bouquet using white calla lilies and textured filler florals. Finished with a satin bow, the result was modern, but romantic, notes the bride.

Koko partnered with Revelry on her bridesmaids’ dresses; her attendants (who carried calla lilies tied with bows down the aisle) wore satin mahogany brown gowns in a style of their choice. “I wanted them to wear whatever they felt most comfortable and confident in and loved the vibe of having them be different, but cohesive,” she says.

Kiki opted for a cream-colored tuxedo from Suit Supply with a satin lapel; he paired the suit with a pleated dress shirt, black bow tie, black dress pants, a cummerbund, suspenders, and pocket square to match. Two-tone penny loafers from Duke + Dexter, his late grandfather’s cufflinks and watch, and a Yves Saint Laurent bracelet polished off his ensemble. 

His groomsmen opted for black tuxedos from The Black Tux, which provided contrast and let the groom stand out; the couple's pups stood in as their ring bearers in simple bow ties.

The bride and groom opted out of a first look, but found a moment to connect with each other on the morning of the wedding, before the getting-ready process began. “Kiki and I meditated on the edge of this beautiful cliff. We love meditating and doing breathwork together, so it was only right to add it to our big day,” says Koko. “It was a tender, special, and really impactful moment I’ll remember forever.”

During the pair’s ceremony, they were “surrounded by beauty on all sides”—which is why they kept the lawn’s décor simple. “We wanted Stella Rose Floral to bring in some white flowers with unique shapes and textures to add something visually impactful to the green surroundings,” says Koko. “We got married with the forest as the backdrop, the ocean off to one side, and our family and friends out in front of us.”

The bride’s father escorted her down the aisle to Vesislava’s instrumental rendition of “Can't Help Falling In Love” before the couple exchanged vows they wrote themselves (“Probably my favorite moment of the entire day,” notes Koko). During the service, they called on a few meaningful rituals. “I am Japanese and my husband is part Cuban, so we really wanted to include both cultures into many aspects of our wedding weekend,” notes Koko. As a starting point, the couple incorporated a Japanese wedding tradition called San San Kudo—a binding ceremony with family, unity, and harmony at the forefront—into their nuptials, as well as a Japanese tea ceremony.

During the cocktail hour, the duo worked with Sheild Catering to create a unique menu; they served gazpacho, yuzu sake glazed mini pork belly, shishito peppers, pineapple skewers, and some aguacate tartlets. Attendees sipped on the pair’s signature cocktails—a tequila old fashioned for him and a dirty martini for her—while they mingled during the interlude.

At the reception, tables were set up in a sunburst layout around the pair's sweetheart station. “This allowed us to see all of our guests during the dinner portion of our evening,” explains Koko. String lights were suspended from the trees surrounding the reception space; once the sun set, they created the effect of lightning bugs overhead. “We decided to lean into the woodsy vibes around us,” they said of the décor, which included wooden tables with gauzy runners, neutral bud florals and candles, and muted glassware. “We incorporated a bit of my culture by placing handmade origami cranes on each guest’s menu,” shares Koko. “Cranes symbolize longevity, loyalty, and good fortune.”

For dinner, the pair served wedding classics, like steak, salmon, and cauliflower katsu, but added Asian or Cuban influences to each dish. “We of course had Cuban bread with butter!” adds Koko.

Naturally, music was a core wedding priority for the dancers. “We found an incredible DJ from Portland, Travis Jones of Jupiter Williams, and he was amazing!” says Koko. “We went through months of picking specific songs for specific parts of the night.” The pair chose “Lover’s Rock” by Sade for their first dance, opting to sway naturally to the music over choreographing a performance (in an effort to step away from their day jobs). 

There were a few planned dance moments, though: “My bridesmaids are all dancers or were dancers at some point, so we did a little dance to reveal my party dress!” says Koko, who donned a Kim Kassas Couture mini dress for the party’s second half. “My maid of honor Sofia Ghavami and bridesmaid Jessica Williams prepped everything together and I was so grateful. The song went from ‘Freakum Dress’ by Beyonce, to Scissor Sisters' ‘Let’s have a Kiki.’”

Kiki and Koko’s guests were willing participants, too: “We, of course, danced all night,” they say. “We had so many dancers at our wedding, so we had many dance circles, lots of different genres of dancing, and just a really cohesive vibe.”

Towards the end of the evening, the duo cut into an elegant two-tier white wedding cake by Tori Dino with a rippled design and vanilla sponge cake interior. “It’s my favorite! I’m a simple gal,” says Koko. The pair also served hibiscus yuzu panna cotta alongside the confection—and brought out a late-night French fry cone station to keep their guests fueled through the DJ set.

As for the evening's entertainment beyond music? The duo enlisted a poet from Haikuists to come in and whip up haikus on the fly for their guests. “It was a nice Japanese touch,” says Koko. “It really was a highlight of the night.”

The couple’s biggest piece of wedding advice, of course, revolves around the first dance. “Don’t lose sleep over perfecting every move! The guests just want to watch you and your partner in love,” they say. “When you’re in the moment, whatever happens will happen—so as long as you are present, that’s all that matters. Keep it short, keep it simple, and keep it organic.”