Júbilo

Ceremony & Reception

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

Our story begins by swiping right in New York City in October 2022! Chelsea was in her first full time season at the Metropolitan Opera and did not have time to meet up with Rodrigo (who moved to NYC from Bahia, Brazil in Dec 2019). So they just followed each other on Instagram. In May 2023, Chelsea saw Dree at a cafe in her neighborhood of Astoria and thought “oh, that’s that cute guy from Instagram!” She left the cafe without saying hi but immediately messaged him: were you just at La Sabrosura? He said yes! And you didn’t say hi?? Chelsea decided this was a sign and it meant they had to go on a date. Turns out they both lived in Astoria —about 3 blocks away!  Their first date was at Trestle in Astoria and Rodrigo was very, very nervous (but very, very cute). Chelsea was patient with the language difference and they used some Google translate and had a great time. Rodrigo played “samba” on his phone and danced Chelsea home. (It was not samba, it was forrò but Chelsea is still learning the difference.) Rodrigo had never been to the opera, but he quickly fixed that by coming to the amazing old AIDA. He LOVED IT and has now been to more than 20 operas. Rodrigo has introduced Chelsea to so much Brazilian culture that she didn’t even realize was in New York - pão de queijo, picanha, all the people on the subway speaking Portuguese, coxinha, amazing music, Brazilian sushi, havaianas, and more!  They further developed their relationship with an amazing trip summer 2024 where they saw the Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, stayed at the Grand Canyon Lodge - North Rim, explored Zion National Park, kayaked Antelope Canyon, swam at Lake Powell, ate at the most beautiful Chipotle in Utah, and then swam in Mandalay Bay and saw a DJ back in Vegas!  In Fall 2025, Chelsea & Rodrigo threw an engagement party at Fogo de Chão for NYC friends & family. Chelsea read a poem she translated into Portuguese (and read it with an Italian accent, apparently). Rodrigo cried as he proposed, and Chelsea’s cheeks almost burst from smiling. Twelve days later, they went to City Hall and made things official in the USA with Chelsea’s twin Katie & her partner Brian as witnesses and photographers.  But now, the pièce de resistance: the Brazilian Wedding! Officiated by Rodrigo’s mentor Jailton Alves, we are thrilled to share Rodrigo’s home state of Bahia with you all and continue celebrating our union through an oceanfront ceremony & reception!!

Our Story

Photos

Wedding Party

Q + A

Hotel options super near the wedding venue are Jardim Atlántico Resort and Opaba Praia Hotel. We can also discuss getting an AirBnB in Ilhéus for a large group. There is also an all-inclusive resort about 20 minutes away called Cana Brava. They have a shuttle from the Ilhéus (IOS) airport. For the proposed tourist itinerary, we could rent cars and drive to the other cities which are 1-2 hours up the coast. We can potentially share hotel rooms and book rooms at the same resorts.

Travel

Tourist Itinerary

WEDDING WEEKEND in Ilhéus!! Feb 6-8!!  Cachoeira do Tijuipe  Itacaré - One night  Barra Grande - Two nights  Morro de São Paulo - Two nights  Back to Ilhéus to fly home

Things to Do

Registry

C&R

Ceremony & Reception

Reception