Comedienne, actress and host Niecy Nash is absolutely everything you imagine she would be: down-to-earth, truly open and honest and a delight to talk to. When I had a recent conversation with the star to discuss her marriage, many projects and what it felt like to celebrate her marriage anniversary with husband Jay Tucker on May 28, she could not have been more pleasant! She’s a star that really shines from within :-)
It’s no surprise then that many of her celebrity friends turned up in record numbers to celebrate with her. Some guests included: Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance; Shanice & Flex Alexander; Laila Ali & Curtis Conway; Lisa Leslie & Michael Lockwood; Brandy Norwood; Jenifer Lewis, among so many others. The couple was serenaded by Shanice and Frenchie Davis! It was an affair to remember!
But first, here are some takeaways from my conversation with her:
On what she loves most about being married to Jay ….. Niecy stated that what she loves the most about being married to her husband, Jay, is that he makes her laugh and they have so much fun together that they have fun doing pretty much anything.
On planning a wedding the second time around and second chances at love ….. You might not know this, but when Niecy had her wedding for her first marriage, she had absolutely no idea how to go about it because she had never been to a wedding before! As you can imagine, the planning process was not that great. This time around, though, Niecy was not afriad to ask for help and gladly got a wedding planner to help with the process. Most importantly, she stated, “No one should be afraid of a do-over. I want to encourage women not to give up on love.”
On having a family reality show ….. Niecy’s family reality show, Leave It to Niecy, on TLC recently finished its first season. When asked why she decided to have a family reality show on air, she emphasized how important it was to show a real family on air in which a husband and wife are truly in love with each other, really get along, don’t put each other down and have a beautiful, balanced family.
On having a blended family ….. In Episode 1 of Leave It to Niecy, the family struggled with “putting their family in the blender and turning it on,” as Niecy said. According to Mrs. Nash-Tucker, the family is blending very well indeed. The children are getting to know Jay as well as his teenage son and they are getting to know Niecy’s children. Communication is paramount.
On her Yahoo! web series ….. Niecy’s amazing Yahoo! web series is called Let’s Talk About Love because it deals with, well, love :). She wanted the series to focus on love in a positive way and to help people open up on the nuances of positive, loving relationships.
On matchmaking pointers ….. As a renowned match maker (who famously introduced good friend, Sherri Shepherd to husband, Lamar “Sal” Sally in her living room), what does Niecy consider most important when matching people? Having insight into what each individual wants and ensuring that they are both ready to be in a loving, committed relationship.
On favorite destinations ….. Niecy and Jay enjoyed such a fabulous honeymoon in Anguilla. They had such a wonderful experience there that they plan to do it again.
Niecy’s and Jay’s beautiful anniversary was planned by the brilliant, creative mind of William P. Miller of W. P. Miller Special Events. William has known Niecy for years and has planned several events for her in the past, most notably, her bridal shower. For this event, he decided to create a gorgeous celebration of love right in her own backyard – and she was blown away. According to Niecy, “I never knew my home could look so beautiful!” She stated that it turned out so perfectly that now, she can’t imagine having this event anywhere else!
For the anniversary, William included some important elements: an anniversary cake that was designed to match the chairs; a floral centerpiece accented with images of Jay and Niecy, created by Eddie Zaratsian of Tic Toc Couture Florals; four different atmospheres – a lounge area with a custom canopy and ottomans, an intimate bistro area, a cocktail area, and a dining area; and a customized menu for the buffet with hot towel service. An anniversary never looked so good!
As for Niecy, the ever-busy star is coming back to the small screen near you. You can find Niecy on her new show premiering on TV Land on Wednesday, June 20. It’s called “The Soul Man.” The show is a spinoff of “Hot in Cleveland” and co-stars Cedric the Entertainer as Niecy’s on-screed husband. Get this: the show actually has parallels to Niecy’s real life! In her first marriage, she was married to an R & B singer turned ordained minister – which is the same character played by Cedric the Entertainer. Talk about art imitating life!!! However, she stated that her character is more understanding of the great challenges faced with being the First Lady of a church than she was in real life.
In typical Niecy fashion, she joked that she has “an ex-husband, a new husband and a TV husband.” Busy woman :-)
Be sure to catch Niecy and Cedric the Entertainer on Wednesday, June 20, in “The Soul Man”. It airs on TV Land at 10 PM/9 PM Central. It promises to be a riot!
Congratulations, Niecy & Jay. We can’t wait to see many more anniversary celebrations!
Click any thumbnail below to view the whole gallery. Photography credit: Earl Gibson
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Loved it…loving the decor..looks awesome..slightly bohemian but very down to earth and relaxing..She looks so happy and peaceful.
Doesn’t she? Everything definitely looks great!
Love the colors and looks like they are having fun! Love it!
The colors are great, and they look like they’re having TONS of fun. Nothing like love and fun :-)
Love everything except no audio fro Shanice’s singing:(
LOVE THAT SOMEONE IS LOVED, KEEP LOVING.