Tika Sumpter Details Her Destination Wedding For BRIDES Magazine

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Brides Destination Wedding Issue Featuring Tika Sumpter and Nick James (Muscarella)

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

Tika Sumpter’s Cabo San Lucas Wedding Featured In Destination Weddings Issue Of BRIDES

If you’ve been dreaming of a destination wedding, you’re in luck! BRIDES Magazine recently released their Destination Wedding Issue and look who is on the cover – our boo Tika Sumpter and her hubby Nick James!

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Tika Sumpter’s Babymoon Inspired Her Cabo San Lucas Wedding Location

The couple wed Saturday, May 14, in an adults-only (with the exception of their daughter Ella and her two friends) ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a location that was inspired by a previous trip the couple took in 2016 when Tika was pregnant with Ella.

“It was so beautiful, and it wasn’t too far away from California, so it was an easy trip,” the Sumpter told BRIDES.

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Sumpter intended the wedding weekend to be a laid-back, relaxing three-day celebration that would also serve as a special way of treating their guests.

“I wanted everyone to feel taken care of, have a great time, and feel like they were on vacation,” said Tika.

“It was an adults-only wedding, and I have never seen my friends so blissful in their lives. They’re walking around saying, ‘Hey, how you doing?’ They were loving life, and that felt like something we had been able to give to them.”

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

Tika Sumpter’s Wedding Dress Was One Of Only Four She Tried On

Tika also spoke with BRIDES about the strapless Galia Lahav wedding gown she wore to walk down the aisle.

“I kind of knew right away. It wasn’t about the destination. It was about how I felt in the dress. 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,” Tika says.

Sumpter wore a mini crown and veil from Galia Lahav to complete her look. She added that getting ready for her wedding was nothing like preparing for a red carpet.

“I’m usually anxious before a red carpet. There’s a different level of pressure to that,” Tika admits. “This didn’t feel like pressure. This day was one of the most special days of my life besides having my daughter, and I just want to feel and look special. When that feeling came, I knew it was it. A red carpet is for work, right? This is for our lives.”

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

While the destination didn’t dictate the dress for the occasion, Tika said the location did factor into her decision to keep her hair (styled by Annagjd Taylor) and makeup (done by Kristene Bernard) simple for her special day.

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

“I didn’t want to have to mess with it, especially for a beach wedding,” Tika told BRIDES.

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

Tika Sumpter’s Mom Walked Her Down The Aisle On Her Wedding Day

The groom got a little emotional as Tika made her way down the aisle with her mother Janice by her side, with Ed Sheeran’s song “Perfect” playing in the background.

“My father, Arthur Curtis Sumpter, died when I was 13, unfortunately. I’m so grateful that my mom got to see this moment,” Tika told BRIDES of her meaningful entrance.

“As we were walking down the aisle, all of a sudden the wind really started blowing, and I thought, ‘Is this a blessing? What is this?'” Tika remembers. “My mom was busy trying to make sure the back of my dress was okay, but I was really at peace. To me, nothing could go wrong at that point.”

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

So amazing right? Pretty sure the spiritual folks among us would say her dad was definitely there watching over her too.

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

Tika and Nick exchanged vows they wrote themselves, with their daughter Ella by their side at the altar.

“I think mostly we wanted to be honest with one another,” the bride says of their ceremonial promises. “We not only went over the great things, but we also recognized the hardships we had getting us to the point where we are now.”

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“[Actor] Michael Ealy said to me after, ‘Your daughter got to see what love looks like through you guys coming together,’” Tika remembers. “It was beautiful to have my daughter there and knowing she’ll remember that forever.”

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

For her part, Ella was mostly focused on what comes after the vows — the KISS!

“After the ceremony we were like, ‘What did you think?’ And Ella said, ‘I was just waiting for you guys to kiss!’”

Super cute right?

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

Tika Sumpter Met Her Husband On Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and the Have Nots”

Michael Ealy wasn’t the only famous face at the event. Tyler Perry actually made his way to the podium to toast the couple, who met on the set of his show “The Haves and the Have Nots.”

“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 laughs.

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

Ultimately, Tika Sumpter says having a destination wedding made all the difference in her and her husband being able to really spend quality time with all of their guests.

“Nick and I really got to see our guests, to talk to them, and I don’t know if that would have happened if we didn’t have a destination wedding,” the bride says.

Source: Jana Williams Photography / Brides

Following the wedding weekend, Nick and Tika made their way to Bora Bora for their honeymoon, which was actually their first solo vacation in five years! (WE know you parents can relate.) Reflecting on their special day Tika says there isn’t anything she’d change.

“The wedding was everything we wanted and more. We laughed, we cried, we danced. At the end of the day, the people who mattered most were there, the place looked gorgeous, and we’re so grateful to be married to my guy,” Tika says. “We had fun. We had a lot of fun!”