Who doesn’t like a fairytale celebrity wedding? Well, Nikki Garcia delivers the bells and whistles as she finally shares her big day with viewers on “Nikki Bella Says I Do” on E!
Following her public breakup with fiancé John Cena in 2018, she moved on with Russian dancer Artem Chigvintsev, who featured as her partner on season 25 of “Dancing with the Stars”.
Since 2019, the pair have worked through their cultural differences and got engaged a year later. Interestingly, Nikki, who is known for “Total Bellas” with twin Brie as well as “Total Divas”, dropped another bombshell - she was pregnant with their first child.
And, as luck would have it, Brie was expecting her second child, too.
The new reality show captures Nikki’s big day, which happened last year. In a press conference ahead of the show’s TV debut, she unpacked what fans can expect.
“A lot of love, that’s for sure! Definitely a roller-coaster ride of emotions and everything that goes into wedding planning. I know it’s not ideal to plan a wedding in four weeks; we did it, and we made magic happen.
“But, of course, it was a bumpy ride all the way to the altar.
“I feel it contains a lot of raw honesty and truths that come around relationships. It’s a series that not only women will love but also men.
“Whether you’re in a couple or not, yearning for love or in love, you can definitely take something away from this series.”
On having virtual guests from around the world, so to speak, she added: “It’s incredible because I have been fortunate enough to wrestle all over the world and have this gigantic, incredible fan base, and the one thing I’ve wanted to give them is more of me – not just in the US but all over the world.
“I was jumping up and down the minute I found out that everyone gets to be on this journey with me. I’m only where I am today because of my fan base.
“To finish this beautiful part of my journey in life, finally getting married, it really meant a lot that everyone gets to tune in and watch it and enjoy it with me.”
I think with any wedding there are a few regrets. Nikki wishes she had more time.
She added: “The one thing I do love about it being short and sweet is you don’t have time to be a bridezilla or a groomzilla, you truly live in the moment, and you just appreciate anything that works out.
“But, if I could do it all over again, I would definitely give myself more time because there were little things that I didn’t do because everything was happening so quickly.
“Just little touches that you have as part of a wedding or your bridal suite or those little magic moments in between. So that would be my one thing, maybe giving myself another few months, maybe half a year, maybe even a year!”
Being rich and famous doesn’t mean they don’t go through the normal ups and downs that couples do.
The former WWE wrestler admitted: “I love so many things about Artem; he literally is the sexiest person I have ever met, both inside and out. What I love the most about him is that he’s the sweetest man I have ever met.
“His aura, his personality, and anyone who meets him, all say, ‘His presence is so calming and so kind and sweet’.
“That was one of the things that made me really fall in love with him. I feel like that can sometimes be really hard to find someone that can be this super sexy man but yet the sweetest man in the world.
“I got the best of both worlds. The things that can annoy me, Artem will wash the dishes and leave them on the counter-top. That’s probably the number one disagreement in our marriage, he’s like, ‘At least I clean them’.
“But the drawers are right there. It’s always kitchen-related disagreements.”
On choosing to exchange their vows in Paris, Nikki says it was where they had their first vacation.
She added: “It was so magical, and I remember having all these dreams there, and then Artem and I went a few times after we first went, and he proposed to me right outside of Paris, and it was the first time I met his parents.
“So, Paris has always had a special place in our hearts; we have a lot of Parisian things in our house, and we made our home very French.
“When we knew we were getting married and Napa Valley wasn’t going to work, we were like: it has to be Paris. It just felt right.”
Aside from being the “Bella” of the ball, Nikki has another show in the pipeline called “Twin Love”.
For now, she’s basking in the glow of a newly-wed and giving fans a front-row seat to the picture-perfect journey.
∎“Nikki Bella Says I Do” airs on E! (DStv channel 124) on Sundays at 7.05pm.