Mary Camille Nikols and Andoni Konstantine Tsouchlarakis didn’t need a dating app or Greek relatives to arrange a proxenio, or traditional Greek matchmaking, to meet and fall in love. They just needed adjoining seats on a chartered bus that took them, along with a handful of other Cretan-Americans, to the island of Spinalonga in the Gulf of Elounda, off Crete’s northeast coast.
“Neither of us was looking to meet someone,” Nikols, now 29, said of that fateful week in July 2022. “We were both on this trip to experience Crete with our families and see the villages where our grandparents were from.”
Nikols, however, said that shortly after meeting Tsouchlarakis, “I developed a crush.” Likewise, Tsouchlarakis, 31, recalled the moment he felt a spark. On the final night, they were at an outdoor festival in a village called Keramia. “We sat for hours talking, and it felt like the world stood still,” he said.
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When the trip ended, Tsouchlarakis extended his stay to travel with friends, while Nikols, who is an actress and singer, returned to New York City.
Nikols grew up in Salt Lake City and holds a bachelor of fine arts in musical theater from the University of Utah. She had just finished the national tour of “An Officer and a Gentleman,” and was moving back to New York to continue pursuing her career. She now works as an executive assistant for the fine jewelry brand MARLI New York.
“We were both at interesting points in our lives,” Nikols said. Change was in the air for Tsouchlarakis, too.
Tsouchlarakis grew up in Corte Madera, Calif., and holds a dual bachelor’s degree in statistics and linguistics from the University of California, Davis, and a master’s in statistical analytics from Georgia Tech. He was living in Austin, Texas, at the time, but had already begun considering relocating to New York. He now works as an engineering program manager at Apple in New York.
“I was feeling like I was outgrowing Austin and was considering New York when I first met Mary,” he said.
Tsouchlarakis made the move in the spring of 2023, and the couple moved to the Upper West Side in September 2024. “We knew that when we moved in together, the next step would be marriage,” he said.
He also knew that the proposal on June 6, 2025, would have to include the theater, something that Nikols is passionate about.
Tsouchlarakis began the evening with drinks at Peak in Hudson Yards before surprising Nikols with front-row tickets to “Wicked” on Broadway. After the performance, during a backstage tour of the Gershwin Theater, he got down on one knee and proposed in the middle of the stage.
Tsouchlarakis is known to always have a still camera in hand, and Nikols quickly became his muse. The couple has traveled extensively since they met and have used the locales for both a scenic backdrop to their budding love and a litmus test of sorts. “Travel is a great barometer,” he said. “I wanted a life partner who could also be a great travel partner.”
As their relationship developed, they discovered that their families’ histories had crossed long before their own paths did. “Andoni’s grandfather emigrated to Price, Utah, and while my dad was cleaning out his parents’ home after his father’s passing, he found his sister’s wedding guest list and Andoni’s grandparents were on it,” she said.
There was another connection: As a young man, her father had served Tsouchlarakis’ grandparents when they dined at Coachmans, the Nikols family’s restaurant in Salt Lake City, which was known for its comfort food and Greek hospitality before it closed in 2021.
Neither had dated a fellow Cretan before meeting. Though they admit there was gentle parental pressure to marry within the Cretan community and Orthodox faith, they acknowledge how being aligned on important issues makes life easier.
“At the start, you already have so many things in common,” Nikols said. “I’m proud to be Greek and always wanted my kids to be proud Greeks, too.” They had been going to the same Cretan events for the last decade and, providentially, had never met. “We just weren’t meant to meet each other until we did,” she said.
The couple married Oct. 3 at Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Holladay, Utah. The Very Rev. Archimandrite George Nikas, a Greek Orthodox priest, officiated the ceremony, along with several other priests. A 450-person black-tie reception followed at Holy Trinity Cathedral Hellenic Memorial Cultural Center in Salt Lake City. There were 11 groomsmen and 11 bridesmaids.
The couple honored their Cretan heritage throughout the celebration. Tsouchlarakis and his groomsmen wore white Cretan sarikia, tasseled scarves symbolizing centuries of hardships and rebellion, with their tuxedos. The bride’s mother prepared traditional Cretan appetizers and desserts, while one of Nikols’ uncles provided guests with homemade tsikoudia, a fiery spirit.
At midnight, Nikols switched from her Saint Bridal Couture dress to a pantsuit repurposed from her mother’s 1980s wedding dress — a more appropriate outfit to dance until dawn.
The post A Shared Heritage, and an Amazing Coincidence, Proved a Strong Foundation appeared first on New York Times.
