Tia Mowry Gives Five Tips to Brides Planning Their Weddings
Tia Mowry says her loved ones are still talking about her wedding day–nine years later! In an exclusive, new interview with The Knot, the former Sister, Sister actress, 38, shares her five tips for a memorable celebration, and why it’s important for brides to practice self-care in the days leading up to their weddings.
Beauty Rest Is a Must The Eucerin spokesperson urges brides to get plenty of shut-eye on the night before their nuptials. “I know there’s going to be a lot going through your head [because] you want this day to be perfect. A lot of the time you’re stressed out [in the days leading up to the wedding], so I would say just really try to get a good night’s sleep the night before.”
Relax and Enjoy a Glass of Bubbly Before walking down the aisle to greet her longtime love, Cory Hardrict, in April 2008, the Twintuition co-author calmed her nerves with a glass of champagne. “Just a glass,” Mowry warns. “You don’t want to go down there skipping. [Have a] nice glass of wine and a toast with your mother, your best friend, your bridesmaids, [because] everybody gets nervous on their wedding day.”
Pamper Yourself With a Spa Day Mowry urges brides to pencil in a day of pampering. “Get a really nice facial. Get a massage. Just put yourself in a really relaxed mood,” she tells The Knot.
Make Sure You Nosh When it comes to a wedding day diet, the Cooking Channel host encourages brides to enjoy the fare. “Make sure that you eat,” Mowry says. “Don’t forget to eat, because during your wedding, so many people are gonna be talking to you [and] you’re going to be making sure that everybody else is having a great time. Really enjoy the food; you spent all of that time and effort trying to create the best meal for your guests. Take time out for yourself and your now-husband. Really just enjoy that moment.”
Consider Quality, Not Quantity Perhaps one of the reasons Mowry and Hardrict’s guests are still gushing about the couple’s wedding, is the fact that the lovebirds chose to invite only those closest to them. “Invite people that you know you will be talking to in five years,” the actress notes. “Some [brides and grooms] invite people to fill up a room, No, it doesn’t have to be crazy big. [Our wedding] was a huge party, not in the sense of so many people, but huge in the sense that my heart was filled. I was so happy [and] full of joy, because all of my close family and my friends were there, and we danced the night away. It’s about letting your hair down and having a great time. It’s a celebration of two people coming together and their love for one another.”
Mowry tells The Knot that her favorite wedding day moments were those she spent with her loved ones. Another highlight was her walk down the aisle as Benny Latimore sang “For You”–one of the couple’s favorite songs. “To have him sing the actual song as I walked down the aisle, it was beautiful,” Mowry recalls.
The bride met her groom at the altar wearing a custom dress by designer Kevan Hall. “I did have my gown specifically made for me,” she tells The Knot. “Just going through that process was so emotional and so beautiful. I told him what I wanted, and he delivered. It was amazing.”
Mowry says seeing her groom’s expression was another wedding day perk. “My husband is a really cool, laid-back dude, [but] on our wedding day he smiled so big,” she recalls. “Seeing his smile was just the most beautiful thing. He was just gleaming.”
As a food expert, Mowry says variety is a key ingredient to planning wedding fare. “Some people are vegan; some people are gluten-free; some people have allergies,” she explains. “Make sure you have a good range of variety, because not everybody is going to want poultry. They may be vegan.”
Brides can’t go wrong serving a sweet treat, according to Mowry. “Think about the things that everybody loves. What is something that nobody can turn down? In my opinion, that’s chocolate,” she says. “Have something with chocolate in it, because everybody loves chocolate. Make sure you have chicken, fish, and beef available, because not everybody eats red meat. I would definitely say a variety of protein, and make sure you have chocolate on that menu.”
Fast-forwarding to present, Mowry appears to be perfectly content as a wife and mother. Her husband is hands-on, and there are no gender roles present in their household. After a long day, Hardrick tends to the couple’s 5-year-old son, Cree, if he wakes up in the middle of the night. “It’s really the little things like that,” Mowry concludes. “Or I’ll cook dinner and he’ll wash the dishes. He’s very considerate. Cory and I, we are a team. We’ve been together for 17 years, and it’s not the man does this, the woman does that… It’s whoever is available. I think it lessens the pressure on [our] relationship and marriage.”