John Cena and Nikki Bella had planned to tie the knot on May 5. But after their sudden split last month after six years together, a Cinco de Mayo/Derby Day wedding was not meant to be for the WWE superstars.
Cena and Bella’s wedding planning had been in full force—they ended their engagement just three weeks before their planned nuptials—and now some of their canceled wedding plans are being revealed. According to People, John Cena and Nikki Bella were both actively involved in their wedding planning, although Cena admitted he was “the last checkpoint” after being given a couple of options to choose from. The former couple had even planned a TV special about their wedding, which was slated to air in July.
After John Cena proposed to his longtime love with a 4.5 carat Tiffany ring in front of a live audience at WrestleMania 33, Nikki Bella went into immediate wedding planning mode. Nikki told People magazine she wanted a “classic” and sexy, form-fitting lace wedding dress. After a trip to New York Bridal Fashion Week last spring, Nikki dished that she chose a Marchesa gown and that she would be wearing a veil on her big day.
John Cena was much more low key about his planned wedding attire. The WWE legend revealed that he already owned several “decent-looking tuxes” and that depending on the color scheme for the wedding he might not need to order anything new.
“I have a few tailors that I work with, just because I’m not exactly somebody who can buy a suit off the rack,” Cena explained.
Nikki Bella told Entertainment Tonight that the couple’s wedding guest list would be limited to about 150 people because she wanted to keep it “very private and intimate.” But she also wanted to keep things formal.
“I want black tie,” Nikki said. “I just love the elegance of black tie…I’m going to have a lot of florals, so I don’t know how much they’ll cost, but I hear they cost a lot. But I don’t care. I want it to be drenched with flowers.”
Nikki also told Access Hollywood that she was inspired by Kate Moss’s 2011 wedding and that she planned to incorporate some similar details into her wedding to John.
“When I saw Kate Moss’s champagne tower from her wedding, I was like, ‘Okay, check, I want that,'” Bella said. “Who wouldn’t want fireworks? Are you serious? Do you understand how long I waited for this? This is, like, a massive celebration.”
During a visit to The Tonight Show in March, John Cena revealed that he planned to learn a special dance for the couple’s first dance as a married couple. Fans may recall that Nikki Bella has some dancing experience after competing on Dancing With the Stars last year.
“I am super excited and I’m going to have to learn a dance,” Cena said, according to E! News. “I promised Nicole that I would spend the last half of April learning a dance. It’s not going to be any good, but I’m going to do the best I can… I’m going to put the time in because I want that moment to be special for her.”
Nikki Bella previously announced that her twin sister Brie would be her matron of honor. Instead, Brie will now be by her sister’s side as she gets through what would have been her wedding day. The Total Bellas star revealed that she suggested a Napa girls trip for her twin or that they might just stay at home “eating pizza and devouring ice cream.”