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Her sister Brie Bella was against her choice to wear it
Nikki Bella is opening up about her decision to wear the dress originally intended for her wedding to John Cena during her recent nuptials with Artem Chigvintsev.
The 39-year-old WWE personality explained she viewed the dress as nothing more than a material object, and didn't feel it was fair to toss her dream dress due to any past history.
"I had the moment with that dress … when I saw it," Bella shared in an interview with Us Weekly. "It was all something that I dreamed of."
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In fact, the "Incomparable" author claimed that holding on to the dress even after she and the 45-year-old wrestler parted ways gave her a sense of "empowerment."
"I went back and forth with that decision," Bella confessed and explained how she came to her final conclusion. "For me, it [reflects] how I stand as a strong woman, I was like wait, why should I not wear what I love? Because of my past? It just didn't make sense to me."
Not everyone in the reality star's life agreed with her decision. Nikki claimed her sister Brie Bella was against her choice to wear it until she said she'd only change her mind if Chigvintsev had "an issue with it."
Surprisingly enough, the 40-year-old "Dancing With The Stars" professional was "cool about it" and agreed with her logic.
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Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev Get Married After Two Year Engagement
View Story"He looks at it as just a material thing. He probably wanted me to save money but then didn’t realize I bought a few other dresses after," Nikki quipped.
Artem added, "I didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal for people to react how I reacted … I think [if there's] an issue with it, they're bringing some other energy into our happiness."
Bella and Cena pulled the plug on their six year engagement back in 2018. The "Total Bellas" star eventually moved on with Chigvintsev in 2019 and the couple broke the news of their engagement the following year. Nikki and Artem welcomed their son Matteo in July 2020 and married in August 2022 in Paris, France.
