Tika Sumpter is finally giving up the details about her Mexican wedding getaway. The actress wed her The Haves and Have Nots co-star Nicholas James on May 14, 2022, after meeting back in 2015 on the set of the Tyler Perry series. In an exclusive interview with Brides for their third digital issue of the year, Tika gave a play-by-play of her adults-only destination wedding. The couple settled on getting married in the popular tourist city, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico after reflecting on the beautiful experience they had visiting the beach town in 2016 during their babymoon. The couple shares a 5-year-old daughter named Ella.
“It was so beautiful, and it wasn’t too far away from California, so it was an easy trip,” Tika recalled. Once they finalized the location, it was time to find the venue. They found a local wedding planner who helped them secure Chileno Bay Resorts & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection for their wedding space.
The wedding festivities kicked off on Friday, May 13 with the welcome party. Guests mixed and mingled amongst each other as well with the bride and groom. The welcome party was also the opportunity for family and friends to give speeches. Tika reflected on Tyler Perry as well as her brother’s speeches. “We're great friends, so hearing both ends of the stories—when things were bad and things were good and everything in between—was so great,” Tika said recalling Tyler’s speech.
For her wedding ceremony, the Ride Along actress wore a Galia Lahav wedding dress with a floral motif and while it wasn’t your typical beach bridal gown, it all came down to how it made her feel.
"I kind of knew right away. It wasn't about the destination. It was about how I felt in the dress,” she said. “I wanted to feel sexy, but I also wanted to feel like a bride. This is my first and last wedding, I’m praying, so I just wanted to kind of blow it out."
They got married on the beach with their daughter, who did double duty as the flower girl and ring bearer, by their side. After the ceremony, the guests moved on to cocktail hour while the newlyweds took their official photos as husband and wife. And then it was party time. Tika changed into another look for the reception. “I wanted something fun and flirty, short and a little sexier so that I could dance,” she said.
As the three-day extravaganza came to a close, Tika was very grateful to her guests for taking time out to spend the weekend with them and be a witness to her and Nick’s love.
"My favorite part of the planning process was just looking at all of the names of my friends and family who were coming," Tika expressed. "Each one made me smile, so it made me even more excited to plan something beautiful. I wanted everybody to have a great time. I really had my friends, my family, my future husband in mind—it wasn't just for me. It was a real celebration of all the people who have held us up on this journey to make it what it is. They're really part of that thread. It was almost like a gift for them to really love where they are, love being together, and just overall having a really great time."
Check out Brides for more exclusive photos of Tika and Nicolas' three-day wedding event.
Featured image by Jana Williams Photography, courtesy of Brides
In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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Feature image by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images
