“Mike and I met on my friend Steve Harvey’s television show,” says Cynthia Bailey, star of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. “He does a Dating Pool segment and invited me to come on as his guest, so he could ‘hook me up’ and help me find love again. At first, I was reluctant, and was even advised that it wouldn’t be a good look for me. I decided to go with my gut and go for it. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would meet the man of my dreams. After my divorce, I made it publicly known that I would never get married again. I meant those words at the time, but God had other plans. You never know where and when God will show up. Never say never.”
Cynthia describes her first impressions of Mike being that he was “handsome, sexy, smart, and funny.” His personality and spirituality also left an impression on her.
“Even if we only ended up being friends,” she adds, “I felt in my heart that he was a good guy and loved his energy. I had a feeling we would end up in each other’s life in some kind of way; I was right. What I love the most about our relationship is that we took our time and truly started as friends. Not love at first sight, but what started off as a slow burn ended up being an inferno.”
The proposal took place during the launch of The Bailey Wine Cellar. Noelle, Kayla, and Ashlee – the couple’s daughters – were all in on the surprise. With Cynthia being completely focused on filming and making sure the launch was successful, an engagement was the last thing on her mind; and even though she’s not normally a fan of surprises, this particular surprise was perfect.
Planning a wedding during a pandemic is far from the typical wedding experience. On top of the normal stresses and challenges of the process, Cynthia and Mike also had to keep current rules and regulations in mind. They had committed to October 10th as their wedding date, however, so they embraced the challenge and did everything possible to ensure the comfort and safety of their wedding guests.
“The wedding was moved from indoor/outdoor to completely indoors two days before the wedding because of hurricane Delta,” Cynthia shares. “Guests were encouraged to take Covid tests before the wedding; Mike and I get tested weekly for work. We had temperatures checked, sanitizer stations, and even had a Covid-19 disinfectant company spray and disinfect the venue before the wedding. We supplied each guest with masks and clear shields to be worn with the exception of when eating and drinking, and we practiced social distancing. We did everything except give our guests the vaccine; and if we had it, we would have! All of our efforts apparently worked and were not done in vain. Three weeks after the wedding, there have been no reports of any positive cases from our guests as a result from attending our wedding.”
Despite being in the middle of a hurricane, the bride was completely calm when the wedding day arrived. “I have never been calmer in my life,” she describes. “I just prayed, breathed, let go, and put all my fears and concerns in God’s hands. I was at peace.”
Cynthia and Mike’s celebration was a Real Housewives wedding that embodied luxury and a royal-worthy ambiance. Guests were required to wear black; the groomsmen wore gray, the groom was dressed in silver and black, and the bridesmaids wore white. For the ceremony, the bride made her grand entrance in a stunning rose gold wedding gown, and later changed into a white dress for the reception.
“I chose rose gold because I feel like I am living my golden years,” says Cynthia. “I also feel like I struck gold with my husband Mike. We are golden, and gold is rare, gold is priceless.”
WEDDING TALENT
Location: Governors Towne Club, Acworth, Georgia Photography: Charlton Inije, Atlanta, GA; Additional Photography: Freddy-O, Atlanta, GA; Additional Photography: Erick Robinson
