In an interview with ESSENCE.com, TV personality LaLa Vasquez dishes on her new reality show on VH1, "LaLa's Full Court Wedding," which premieres on Sunday, September 19 at 10:30 p.m. and documents the month before her wedding to Denver Nuggets' small forward Carmelo Anthony. She talks about waiting five years to tie the knot and getting relationship advice from her "big brother," Ludacris.
In an interview with ESSENCE.com, TV personality LaLa Vasquez dishes on her new reality show on VH1, “LaLa’s Full Court Wedding,” which premieres on Sunday, September 19 at 10:30 p.m. and documents the month before her wedding to Denver Nuggets’ small forward Carmelo Anthony. She talks about waiting five years to tie the knot and getting relationship advice from her “big brother,” Ludacris. ESSENCE.com: Why did you decide to let people into the behind the scenes of your wedding? La La Vasquez: People know me as a TV host, but I don’t think they really know me and my personality. This is kind of a sneak peek into my life and who I am. ESSENCE.com: Who are you? How would you describe yourself? Vasquez: I would describe myself as a very down to earth, humble person, with kind of girl-next-door qualities. ESSENCE.com: What do you say to people who say you and Carmelo were engaged for too long or you did things backwards? Vasquez: I just say that we did it our way and this worked for us and it might not work for everybody. You have so many relationships where people rush into marriage and then they get divorced. Melo and I have been together for seven years. To me, that says something in this climate. ESSENCE.com: You say you never dreamed of your wedding as a kid. Why not? Vasquez: I just wasn’t that person. I just wanted to meet somebody, be in love and be happy. You have some people that get married and their unhappy, but they wear that marriage like a stamp. ESSENCE.com: Do you feel different now that you’re a wife? Vasquez: I don’t feel different as far as my responsibilities go. I just know that now it’s official. You’re really my husband. It’s more of an inner thing. ESSENCE.com: Everyone’s been talking about how amazing you’ve looked since your wedding. We call it your “after-wedding glow.” Vasquez: I don’t know that I have this glow. I’m just out there having a good time, trying to make sure I’m well-groomed when I go out. It’s definitely a compliment. I just hope that it doesn’t go away. ESSENCE.com: What are the high points in the show? Vasquez: You see Kelly Rowland and Kim Kardashian throw me my bachelor party. You see Ludacris, who I’ve known since high school, giving me advice. You see Tyrese doing that as well. I have to throw Melo a party and I only have two days. You get to see me and your favorite celebrities in this different way. When would you get to see Ludacris give his little sister, basically, advice about what men think? I kind of let the guards down. Even if it’s something like trying to lose weight before my wedding; and now I’m trying to keep that weight off. It’s a struggle like everybody else. People who say those things are easy — they’re not. You also wake up with me on my wedding day and go through that whole day with me. ESSENCE.com: What was your wedding day like? Were you nervous? Vasquez: Once I got to Cipriani, that’s when it set in. It kind of hit me when I started seeing family and friends. I was honestly humbled by the fact that so many people took time out of their lives to share with me and Melo. You had people that run huge companies take time off to be there. [Walking down the aisle] definitely was a surreal moment, like, “Wow. We are getting married.” ESSENCE.com: What’s up next for you? Vasquez: In about two months I have a movie coming out called “Gun” with Val Kilmer and 50 Cent. I’m excited to be in this other realm. Acting is what I really want to do. The reality show is a special. It’s me doing something different.