Yahoo News Nikki Bella Explains Why She Walked Herself Down the Aisle at Her Wedding: 'I Don't Need to Be Given Away'
Tawni Bannister for Brides
Nikki Bella wasn't afraid to break tradition at her Parisian wedding to Artem Chigvintsev.
In The Wedding Fashion Issue of Brides, the 38-year-old Total Bellas star opened up about her decision to walk herself down the aisle in August.
"When I walked down the aisle, I wanted to be the strong, fierce woman, but also have this feminine, graceful side that made Artem melt," she shared.
Tawni Bannister for Brides
RELATED: Nikki Bella Says Exchanging Vows Was Her Favorite Moment from Parisian Wedding to Artem Chigvintsev
However, Bella still had family close to her heart as she carried two rosaries — one from her grandmother and another from Chigvintsev's mother — down the aisle. She also wore her great-grandmother's rose-shaped ring throughout the ceremony.
"I walked myself down the aisle, because I'm about to be 39 and I don't need to be given away. I'm a mother. I'm an entrepreneur," she explained. "I've done a lot of things on my own in life, so while I knew I wanted to walk myself down the aisle, I also wanted to have the presence of all these strong women with me."
The former WWE star also believes brides shouldn't feel pressure to follow traditional wedding day fashion, saying, "It's your day, no one else's."
Tawni Bannister for Brides
"If you want to wear black, or red, or pink, or whatever speaks to your soul, you have to do it because this is your moment. The worst thing would be to look back and think, 'I wish I took that chance,'" she continued. "It's your moment to go as big as you want, as sparkly as you want, as chic as you want, or as sexy as you want. You get to be you."
Bella added, "When you wear something you love, even if it's a little non-traditional, you put off this incredible energy and that's all anyone around you will see," she added. "The bride makes the dress, the dress doesn't make a woman a bride."
Last month, Bella revealed that exchanging vows was her favorite moment from the pair's ceremony.
Tawni Bannister for Brides
RELATED: Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev Are Married: 'We Both Can't Stop Smiling'
"It's amazing when you write your own, and it's so exciting to hear what they're gonna say," she shared on E! News' Daily Pop. "But definitely, the vows were my most favorite [part]."
"They were very emotional and beautiful, and I can't wait for the world to see them," she added, referring to how she and the Dancing with the Stars pro, 40, intend to reveal more from their special day in a four-part E! special, Nikki Bella Says I Do.
The wedding also included the couple's two-year-old son, Matteo Artemovich Chigvintsev, tapping into ring-bearer duties, as well as a post-ceremony trip to the Eiffel Tower.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella
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Bella and Chigvintsev confirmed their relationship on Instagram in March 2019 after they met two years earlier on Dancing with the Stars.
In November of that same year, Chigvintsev proposed to his now-wife, and a pregnancy announcement came just two months later. Their son Matteo entered the world in July 2020.
