Actress and TV personality Holly Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, celebrated 17 years of marriage yesterday by renewing their vows in a beautiful ceremony high above the New York City skyline, inside the Empire State Building.
A longtime friend of the couple, celebrity event stylist Colin Cowie, designed the event as a personal gift to them. Cowie and the Peetes go way back. He designed and coordinated their original Los Angeles wedding on June 10, 1995. The couple renewed their vows once before on their 10-year anniversary, but hadn’t been able to stick to the every-five-year plan they’d promised. Yesterday’s ceremony helped to celebrate the debut of ColinCowieWeddings.com.
“He allows me to be an equal partner, he’s always on the same page with me, or tries to go on the same page, and he’s been the most amazing father,” explains Holly, when ESSENCE.com asked why she couldn’t wait to renew her vows with Peete. “You don’t always know what you’re going to get when you marry a guy, and start raising kids. He’s turned out to be such an amazing, amazing dad, and I’m really lucky, so I want to celebrate that.”
Robinson Peete wore a stunning Peter Langer white, tulle, mermaid gown with a low-carved back, which she carefully selected from Kleinfield Bridal, and dazzled guests with gorgeous diamond accessories from DeBeers. Peete met his bride at the altar for a third time wearing a custom-made black wool suit, also from Kleinfeld.
The couple’s four children — twins Ryan and Rodney Jr., 14; Robinson, 11; and Roman, 8 — joined them at the altar and helped participate in a special candle-lighting tradition designed uniquely for them.
Pastor A.R. Bernard, founder of the Christian Cultural Center, officiated the ceremony, and legendary gospel music great BeBe Winans surprised the couple with a heartfelt serenade. A cocktail reception followed. Guests munched on a menu of bite-size hors d’oeuvres inspired by the couple’s original wedding menu. Celebrity deejay Donna D’Cruz kept the party going, while celeb guests like Star Jones, Al Roker, Boris Kodjoe, and Nicole Ari Parker hit the dance floor.
“It is for sure a beautiful, romantic evening,” Robinson Peete told us post-ceremony. “I love the fact that my kids are here. This is their absolute favorite landmark in New York. We come here every single summer, and when they heard we were getting married at the top of the Empire State Building, they just thought it was super cool.”
Join us in wishing Holly and Rodney many more blissful years of matrimony.