Fourteen years ago, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Senator Vincent Hughes said “I do.” Little did we know, their wedding day was full of hilarious moments thanks to one of her bridesmaids – Jenifer Lewis.
Ralph hopped on Instagram and revealed that she’s not actually celebrating her anniversary with her husband since she’s filming a secret project in Vancouver. She did, however, share a super cute story about her wedding day that involves a spot on Jenifer Lewis impression. “There I am all dressed up getting ready to come through doors,” she recalls. “Jenifer Lewis looks at me and says, ‘uh, Ralph, I know this is your wedding and your day. But I may never have one. And so when I come through those doors, it is all about me.'”
That wasn’t the only throwback wedding day memory Ralph shared! Mrs. Hughes gave a lovely shout out to her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. “My sorors showed up and showed out,” she says. “They were the most gracious and wonderful hosts of my wedding. One of the greatest pictures I took was of one of my bridesmaids, soror AJ Johnson and I, throwing up the mid with soror Nancy Wilson between us. Such a great memory!”
The photo in question was posted on her husband’s page:
The former Moesha star met her husband in 2002 through a mutual friend and became engaged in 2003. They married in 2005 First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles. The couple exchanged vows in front of 425 guests, according to People, with singer Patti LaBelle, Divorce Court judge Mablean Ephriam and actresses Loretta Devine and Neicy Nash among the bridal party.
In an exclusive 2012 interview with ESSENCE, Ralph and Hughes revealed how they were able to successfully blend families after they’d both been divorced. “We knew the pain, but we knew we loved and respected each other immensely,” Hughes said. “We hadn’t even talked about marriage, but we knew we wanted to go to relationship counseling. If you’re honest in your session, you’re leaving everything wide open. It was a way to really reveal ourselves to one another with guidance. It was extremely helpful. I would encourage counseling whether you have a blended family or not.”
Today the couple is still going strong. Ralph wished her husband a happy anniversary on Instagram, writing, “14 summers ago in July, I took my love life to another level by choosing a life partner who loves himself, respects himself, encourages himself,” she writes, “and by doing so is able to do the same for me in abundance!”
Happy anniversary to the lovely couple.
