Paralympian Chuck Aoki Marries Liz Gregory in Whimsical Christmas-Themed Ceremony in Minneapolis

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Lauren Kirkbride Photography

Liz Gregory didn’t believe in love at first sight, until she met Paralympian Chuck Aoki.

But it wasn’t her who fell head over heels with Aoki at first glance, it was her dog, Ellie Mae. “From the moment that she met him, she was obsessed with him,” says Gregory. “When I saw that, I was like, ‘Okay, it exists!'”

Aoki and Gregory exchanged vows Dec. 17 in a Christmas-themed winter wonderland ceremony at a “very old, gorgeous, ginormous” Minneapolis church.

Lauren Kirkbride Photography

While they didn’t initially plan on marrying there, “We went in and as I was looking around the pastor walks up and says, ‘Was that Charlie Aoki?'” recalls Gregory. “It turns out she was his childhood pastor.”

The woman had been following Aoki’s career as a Paralympian from afar. “I really hadn’t seen her since I was a little kid and I’d been to three Paralympics since then, but she’d watched all my games,” he says, adding, it was “one of those really cool moments” where they “just knew” the venue was perfect for their wedding. “It was kismet to a degree.”

“After one of my games, I was going back to the storage area and this girl goes, ‘Hey, good game,'” Aoki recalls.

The next night, a group from the tournament went out for drinks, where Gregory intended to meet someone else for a date. “Her date went poorly, and we ended up just hanging out that night for a long time. We’ve talked every day since that day,” Aoki shares with a smile.

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Gregory says she first fell for Aoki because of his kind character and sense of humor. “I thought he was really, really sweet and really funny.”

She continues: “I remember the main word that I used to describe him from the first day we met, and to this day, that word still comes to mind first – charming. I was charmed.”

Although she worked for the same league that Aoki competed in, Gregory didn’t know him before they met.

“I was really less into the sport and more into the camaraderie, the community, a space for disabled people to have their own little world,” she says.

Aoki admits that his bride took the lead on planning their big day, but he also believes he’s earned a little credit after a comment their wedding planner made leading up to the ceremony. “I’m quoting our wedding planner verbatim when I say this, I have done more than any other groom, so I like to think I’ve been involved to a decent degree,” he jokes. “But Liz definitely had the vision for it.”

Christmas is Gregory’s favorite time of the year, when “everything is just so magical and whimsical,” she says. “So why not just have that kind of whimsical, happy energy around your wedding?”

Now that they’re married, Aoki and Gregory both look forward to “having a permanent partner” and giving their relationship a stronger title. “What our relationship is, is just beyond a girlfriend or boyfriend,” says Aoki.

source: people.com