Like most beginner brides, WWE superstar Nikki Bella is about to get super intimate with weddings. The newly-engaged Bella twin tells The Knot that she truly didn’t expect longtime love John Cena to propose anytime soon–let alone at WrestleMania 33, where he got down on one knee this weekend before millions of viewers worldwide.
“Brie immediately FaceTimed me,” Nikki recalls of her pregnant twin sister. “My nana called 20 people within 10 minutes. All of my best friends were there so when they walked up to me, we were screaming for a solid five minutes. If you watch Total Divas and Total Bellas, you’ve been on this journey with me since day one. I have truly let the world in on my relationship… I think everyone was so happy that it finally happened.”
Cena proposed to Bella inside the wrestling ring with a 4.5-carat custom ring from Tiffany & Co. that perfectly reflects their 4.5-year romance. “The response now is still crazy,” she continues. “I have no idea [where to begin with the wedding]. I never had a date in mind, because I never thought I’d get married. Now, I’m still just trying to soak in being engaged. I don’t know what season I want. I don’t know what date. I don’t even know how long it takes to plan a wedding.”
So naturally, she spoke to The Knot about her first steps. “I think this weekend, [John and I] will finally get two days alone,” she adds. “So I warned him, ‘We’re gonna open up a bottle of wine and ask each other, ‘What are you thinking?’ …The one thing he told me was, ‘Nicole, I want you to do everything. I want it to be your perfect day.’ I was like, ‘Well I want you to join me.’ And he said, ‘Well, I want it to be everything you want.’ So it’s really cute. I know… He treats me like a queen.”
She expounds on what she loves most about her future husband. “His honesty, his thoughtfulness and his love for me,” she says without hesitation. “I know that we showcase our love—it’s on a reality show and with the WWE—but I’ve truly found my soulmate. He treats me like a lady. He treats me like an equal… He’ll be talking about a movie and he always just lifts me up.”
John Cena and Nikki Bella attend FOX 2016 Upfront after party at Wollman Rink on May 16, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)
The same applies in private. “And behind closed doors, he truly loves me so much. I think sometimes men are afraid to show their love for a woman, because they want to be cool,” she muses. “John doesn’t care about being cool. I love that so much about him. He’s proud to be in love with me and he’s not afraid to hide it. I’m just so grateful for that and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner for the rest of my life and now, soon-to-be husband… How he loves me is my favorite thing ever about him.”
What does Cena love most about Bella? “He loves my personality, because I make him laugh all the time,” his fiancee muses. “[I think] he loves how much I care for him because I’m very nurturing… Sometimes I treat him like a kid, but I just care so much about him. He always says he loves my voice… But he’s loved my personality since day one. He’s said, ‘You make me laugh and you make me smile.’”
Though she’s a planning newbie, there are moments that she’s looking forward to experiencing. “I’ve never tried on a wedding dress,” Bella adorably notes. Thankfully, she already knows how to make snap decisions—with confidence! The Knot provided the newly-engaged beauty with a set of options when it came to overarching wedding decisions, and she quickly fired back. See how she replied, below!
Nikki Bella Plays “This” or “That”
1. Formal Ceremony or Elope?
“Formal ceremony.”
2. Domestic or Destination?
“I think destination.”
3. Cameras or Unplugged?
“Cameras there.”
4. Indoors or Outdoors?
“Ooo, outdoors.”
5. Black Tie or Casual?
“Black tie. For sure!”
6. East Coast or West Coast?
“Uh, West.”
7. Summer or Fall?
“Fall. Fall weddings are so beautiful and I just think of that season, but you can have fires and it’s not that cold.”
Catch the Bella twins on Total Divas every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET/PT on E!
