As the daughter of a wedding singer, Gabourey Sidibe has been to her fair share of weddings. And that’s exactly why she knows her wedding will be anything but traditional. In a recent interview for the style issue of Brides, the 39-year-old actress shares why she and her fiancé plan to shake things up when they tie the knot next year.
Gabby is glowing as she poses with her love, Brandon Frankel, in a colorfully stunning spread. You can almost feel the love coming through every pic. Sidibe met her future husband, head of partnerships at entertainment company NoCap, on the exclusive members-only dating app, Raya. And while they took their time before agreeing to meet in person, Frankel says their first date lasted “more than seven hours.”
The Empire star said in the interview that she didn’t always believe happily ever after was in the cards for her. But when she announced her engagement on Instagram in November 2020, it’s clear that she feels she’s found her soulmate. “My BFF proposed, and now I get to hold him forever. The funniest man I’ve ever met. The sweetest human to exist,” she wrote. “I’ve learned so much about myself through him, and I feel grateful and excited to learn more about the entire world with him by my side. My partner, my best friend, my cats’ daddy, my mans, my heart, my fiancé!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️”The couple plans say “I do” sometime in the spring of 2023.
Gabby says they’d like to share their special day with a small number people they love. But rather than a church, they’d prefer to tie the knot in a private home where their guests can stay. “It cannot be a traditional wedding. Really, it can’t be. I don’t want anything done the ‘traditional’ way. Our relationship is very much on our terms, and I want it to be fun, like a true party,” she said.
That fun includes what the bride-to-be intends to wear on her big day. The actress says she’s thinking of bold colors, prints and jewelry that makes a statement. “Honestly, whatever I wear on the wedding day will probably be African print. It might have a little white, so it looks like a wedding dress, but it’s definitely going to be colorful,” she said.
The details of the ceremony haven’t been finalized. But the actress says they plan to ditch traditional wedding vows for their own words. And the festivities will pay tribute to her Senegalese and his Jewish heritage. “It will be a nice mix of African and Jewish touches,” she says. “I want his background to absolutely be there because this is a partnership.”