Officially man and Housewife! Bravo’s Alexia Echevarria and longtime love Todd Nepola are married, Us Weekly exclusively confirms.
“I’m a wife!!! (A real one.) It still feels like a dream I can’t even put into words,” the Real Housewives of Miami star, 54, gushed to Us after the ceremony. “[It was] perfect for us! Truly everything we wanted. Just him and I. … We look forward to celebrating with our friends and family in 2022.”
The couple tied the knot on Thursday, December 16, at the Eden Rock hotel in St Barths. The bride wore a Muse by Berta dress paired with a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted Marielena headpiece and Aquazurra shoes. She walked down the aisle at sunset, meeting her groom, who donned a blue tuxedo by Isaia Nepoli and Ferragamo shoes.
While reading their vows, the pair cried and laughed, exchanging white gold wedding bands that were engraved with the ceremony’s date. The celebration continued with a romantic dinner at Bonito, followed by dancing and champagne popping at Bagatelle.
“Our favorite moment of the ceremony was when a big sea turtle came up to above the water. I knew there was a symbolic and spiritual meaning and the universe trying to tell me something,” Echevarria told Us. “Sea turtles symbolize longevity, peace, perseverance, healing, steadfastness, wisdom and emotional strength. I am a sea turtle!”
The newlywed added: “Another special moment was when I closed my eyes, kissed and tossed my flower bouquet into the ocean while thinking of my mom and dad. They both loved flowers and the ocean. I could feel both of them right by my side.”
The reality TV personality and the Current Capital Group founder got engaged in December 2019 after two years of dating. Echevarria noted in May 2020 that she wanted to have a “religious wedding,” but the pair were forced to push back their plans due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re still trying to figure out if we want it here, if we want a destination wedding, so those are things that we’re still working out,” she told Bravo’s Daily Dish at the time. “But meanwhile, we’re really enjoying each other. He’s an amazing man and I’m very happy.”
As the world slowly began to open up, the couple set a new date, hoping to walk down the aisle in August. However, on what would have been her wedding day, the Alexia and Frankie’s Beauty Bar founder announced that her mother, Nancy, died of COVID-19.
“The last couple of days have been a rollercoaster of emotions for me. I was on the road to marry the man of my dreams when I had to stop everything as my mother became ill. What was supposed to be the happiest day of my life today has turned out to be the saddest,” the reality TV personality wrote via Instagram at the time, referring to her mom as a “woman of strength and beauty” who “showed me to live unapologetically, never look back and don’t regret the things you’ve done but the things you haven’t.”
Echevarria continued: “To say I will miss you does no justice for what I feel. No amount of tears can express the pain I feel in losing you, but then again, thank you for the honor of sharing a lifetime with me. Rest in Peace Mami. I know you’re in a better place dancing and drinking champagne. Please watch over us, as I need all the help from up above. I now have another angel. Until we meet again.”
The Cuba native was filming season 4 of RHOM — which originally aired from 2011 to 2013 — when tragedy struck her family. However, her now-husband also experienced a loss of his own.
“A lot of people don’t know [but] Todd’s father passed away. The cameras weren’t here,” the Venue magazine cofounder told Entertainment Tonight before her Thursday nuptials. “We had already wrapped up the show, but unfortunately four weeks later, not even four weeks later, he had a stroke and then he never recovered and he passed away. Like I said, the show revolves around my life. So whatever’s going on in my life at that moment, that’s where you’re capturing and the cameras weren’t around, but between him and I, we’re still dealing with so much loss. My mom and his father. … But love wins at the end.”
Before Nepola, the entrepreneur was previously married to Herman Echevarria from 2004 until 2016, when he died. The pair separated in 2015. Alexia also shares two sons with ex-husband Pedro Rosello.
New episodes of The Real Housewives of Miami stream Thursdays on Peacock. Scroll down for exclusive photos from the couple’s “dream” wedding: