Nico Santos and Zeke Smith Are Married! Inside Their ‘Silly, Bougie’ Wedding in Palm Springs (Exclusive)

Nico Santos and Zeke Smith got married!

Double Survived competitor, 35, i Superstore actor, 44 — who got engaged during the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards — tied the knot on Nov. 4 during a weekend wedding extravaganza at the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs, Calif.

“As far as we’re concerned, we’ve been together for almost six years. We share a home, we share a bank account. We’re each other’s emergency contacts. By all kinds of common indicators, we’re married,” Smith told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview ahead of weddings.

“But actually having the ceremony, making it legal, it’s about becoming a family. We’re in it forever. Through thick and thin, easy and thick. We’re going to be the person who’s there for the other person.”

Adds Santos: “Weddings and weddings, I never thought this would be part of my life,” he says, as Smith notes, “[marriage] it was not a reality for us until less than 10 years ago. It wasn’t something real, when we realized we were queer, we thought it was part of our timeline.”

Smith continues, “But now that we’ve done all this planning and the meaning and significance of the day is dawning on us, I’m really excited.”

Zeke Smith (left) and Nico Santos were married in Palm Springs, California.

Photo by Logan Cole

Nico Santos from ‘Superstore’ and Zeke Smith from ‘Survivor’ got engaged at the GLAAD Media Awards

The couple incorporated bright neon decor throughout their wedding weekend, complete with wooden elements, rattan, fringe and woven grass. They worked with Nicole Gillis, a wedding planner from Nicole Alexandra Designs and Cobra Lily Florals, to bring their wedding vision to life.

“We come from very different places. [Santos is from Manila, Philippines, and Smith is from Edmond, Oklahoma.] And yet, despite our vastly different upbringings and life stories, we found a home in each other,” says the couple. The couple incorporated natural woven accents that evoked a Filipino design aesthetic to reflect Santos’ origins. Elements including leather, tassels and themed posters western movies are Smith’s bow.

When the couple originally chose their wedding venue and date, they didn’t know that their celebration would fall on Pride Weekend in Palm Springs. But after a friend informed them shortly after booking, the couple took it as a sign.

“It’s a big gay wedding,” Santos adds. “A lot of our guests are also queer, so we thought we’d stick to the date and have it be during Pride weekend. So it would be extra gay.”

Santos and Smith’s weekend-long celebration kicked off Friday with an event the couple dubbed the “Cheeky Tiki Kiki Party” at Gene Autry’s Parker apartment. They decorated the space with decorations from Party City and Amazon because it was supposed to be in a dive bar. They served burgers and tiki cocktails and asked guests to wear Hawaiian shirts or kaftans. “We just kept with the theme and decorated this very luxurious space with Party City Tiki Stuff,” says Santos.

“We’re not very serious people,” adds Santos, “which is why we both work in comedy, so we’re calling it our goofy bougie wedding.”

Nico Santos (left) and Zeke Smith. Nico Santos/Instagram

The next day, the ceremony began at 4 p.m. Actor Mark McKinney, from Superstore and Children in the hall, served at the altar. Both Santos and Smith had best men stand by them as they exchanged vows. Guests included Superstore creator Justin Spitzer and cast members Ben Feldman, Colton Dunn, Nichole Sakura, Jon Barinholtz, Kaliko Kauahi, Irene White and Lauren Ash, who was also in the wedding. Plus, the ex Survived contestants Hannah Shapiro and Bret LaBelle.

During the wedding, the duo included readings of Shakespeare, a veil and cord ceremony, nods to each of their cultures, and reading iconic lines from romantic comedies. Santos wore a “sassified” version of the traditional Filipino barong, while Smith wore black cowboy boots. Later in the reception, they also had a surprise guest appearance from Dolly Parton, performing Nicole Kidman’s “We Make Movies Better” speech at AMC Theaters and reading iconic lines from romantic comedies.

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On a more meaningful note, “For me, I really wanted to have this church moment during the ceremony where everyone stands up and sings ‘The Greatest Love of All’ together,” adds Smith.

Although planning their wedding was full of challenges, the couple says it was a beautiful experience. “Getting married made us grow as a couple,” says Smith. “And in any growth situation, there’s going to be knocks and it’s going to be hard. But it really kind of forged us to the next level of intimacy and trust. All that matters is you, me, me and forever.”

After the ceremony, the newlyweds hosted a cocktail party with signature drinks that included the old-fashioned “Zeke’s New Fangled” and the “Drink Your Juice, Nico” vodka cocktail, plus side dishes including crab beignets, lamb lollipops, mini BLTs in baguettes and chili con queso tortilla trumpet.

The sit-down dinner included citrus-grilled duck confit, pan-seared sea bass, USDA prime New York strips, and roasted spaghetti squash. For dessert, the couple served a four-layer mocha cake before everyone headed to the ballroom.

In the middle of the reception, the couple wanted to “bring in a new wave of energy”, so they surprised the guests with a special performance. “We’re both big fans of drag and, with Palm Springs Pride in mind, we wanted to find a way to incorporate local drag performers into our wedding,” explains the couple. Smith included his friend and Season 1 winner RuPaul’s Drag Race Ongini for helping put together a “small list of amazing queens” for the show.

Although getting married is all they’ve ever wanted, the couple feels happiest spending their lives together.

“I love Nico’s toughness, because on the outside Nico is all posh and silk and diamonds, but actually he has a story of impossible odds coming to the United States, trying to make it in comedy, and dealing with a lot of health issues — and he never lets that get him down ” says Smith.

“He never lets it stop him. He just keeps going. Most people don’t have that resilience and that inner drive. I think he’s the toughest I’ve ever seen and that’s why I’m so excited to be his partner,” he adds.

Zeke Smith (left) and Nico Santos at the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards. Stefanie Keenan/Getty

Santos and Smith first met at the GLADD Media Awards almost six years ago. Their plus one knew each other and introduced them at the after party. Since then they have been inseparable.

“In the beginning, when we were just getting to know each other, Zeke took me on a magical date in New York. We saw SpongeBob: The Musical on Broadway. We had an amazing dinner and then we just walked around Times Square and had a really fun touristy romantic moment,” says Santos.

“Then after that time in New York, we happened to be away from each other for about 10 days,” Santos continues.

“That’s when we just longed and were attached to each other and I think that’s when we really knew there was something really special here,” adds Smith.

Now that their wedding is behind them, Santos and Smith are heading to Joshua Tree National Park for a honeymoon. In 2024, they plan to travel through Italy – from Rome to the Amalfi Coast to Tuscany – for their real honeymoon adventure together.

Looking forward, they also hope to adopt a bernedoodle and name him Nathan Lane.

“It’s really great to finally meet your person who will hold your hand and have your back no matter what,” says Santos. “It just makes life a little less scary chasing your dreams and being afraid of falling on your face.”

He adds, “It just makes everything a little less scary because you know someone’s got your back and they’re going to get you.”

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Source: HIS Education