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As you all know Memorial Day is a time of remembrance and gratitude for those who lost their lives serving our country. It is also the day that VH1 upped the stakes by hosting not just a reality wedding, but a live one at that! Thatâs right, folks! Yandy Smith and Mendeecees Harris of Love & Hip Hop fame tied the know last night in a live two-hour special.
Nina Parker and Stevie J. are hosting the festivities for the live wedding extravaganza. The guest list runs the gamut from legitimate reality star powerhouses and music moguls (Kandi Burruss being both) to the cast of Mob Wives. Karen Gravano is mildly flirting with Big Tigger who is emceeing the cocktail hour before the ceremony. The venue is complete with a red carpet for Joseline Hernandez and Rasheeda Frost, a coiffed and made-up Yandy joins Nina in an oversize robe to share the exasperating dress debacle and wrong shoe size shenanigans that have been plaguing the bridesmaids for the past twenty-four hours. So much for Yandy getting some R&R the night before her big day!
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Downstairs, Tigger has caught up with Mendeecees who looks a tad bit nervous. Is he anxious about making it official in such a public manner or is he more worried that heâs heading back to jail? Regardless, he reveals that if he had his way, the wedding would have been a much smaller, very private affair. Just Yandy, him, and the prison chaplain. I kid, I kid. Yâall know Iâm a bit sweet on Mendeecees! At least the groomsmen are excited, and best man Juelz Santana shows off Yandyâs blinged out band. Mendeecees picked out the ring himself, which was nice given that Yandy didnât give him input into much else as far as planning the fete.
Stevie is schmoozing with his old friend Renee Graziano and they walk down memory lane having known each other for over sixteen years. Renee has known Yandy almost as long, and sheâs thrilled to see her âgod sisterâ walk down the aisle. In the dressing room, Yandyâs maid-of-honor/wedding planning is checking off the boxes with the Type A bride. Guests are arriving, the favors are ready, the table are set. Her remaining bridesmaids are primping and taking selfies in the background with the exception of oneâŚwhere is Kimbella? Doesnât she realize this is live? And donât they realize that they arenât really actors and actresses so the manufactured drama doesnât play out well when they arenât afforded additional takes! Weâre treated to Yandy, her mother, and friends spending the day at Panina Torne, a name Iâm quite familiar with given that my sad social life consists of a lot of Say Yes to the Dress on Friday nights. That said, after trying on several dresses that donât quite make the mark, Yandy falls head over heels with a dress that all the big spending brides flock to at Kleinfelds. Not surprisingly, there is a second dress that Yandy loves just as much. How to decide, how to decide? Well, guys, thatâs up to you! Those live-tweeting throughout this two hour special will vote on which dress Yandy should wear down the aisle.
Kandi joins the bridal party to revel in the craziness that a televised wedding can create. Forget prenups and family drama, the tailor was sewing Kandiâs bridesmaids into their dresses moments before the ceremony started. Kandiâs story is interrupted when Joseline Hernandez comes swooping in like some bird in a floral silk bathrobe that may or may not have had a run in with a shredder. I am so confused by the length and the sleeves, but not the cleavageâitâs par for the course for the Puerto Rican princess! Kandi gifts Yandy with some of her infamous sex toys, and Joseline goes a bit too into detail regarding how Stevie likes to use it on her. Um, again, this is live! Thankfully, a two second delay spares us from where Stevie really loves to put the lipstick shaped vibrator.
Ray J and Stevie J are waxing poetic about how much theyâve learned from being on this franchise, and how they need be respectful of their women. When Ray J speaks, I always tune out because his voice grates on my nerves. I did hear Stevie suggest a show starring the two of them called the Gentlemenâs Club. Ray wants to name it âThe Js.â Please donât, Mona. Please. We get to see footage of Yandy and Mendeecees heading to the jeweler to pick up their wedding bands. Collectively, they cost close to $45,000. Chump change. Mendeecees almost blows a gasket when he learns that Yandy is spending $90,000 on flowers for their wedding. Canât she get fake ones? The rings can be pricey because they are an investment, but the flowers? Theyâll be dead by the end of the night! Sadly, Mendeecees quickly learns that his role in this wedding is that of a mime.
Mendeecees introduces his adorable sons to Tigger. His middle son will be the ring bearer, and Little Mendeecees is sharing the best man duties with Juelz. In yet another pre-recorded scene, Yandy and Mendeecees are writing their vows, and Yandy is less than pumped to learn heâs using Google as a creativity aid. She presses him about her desire to have more childrenâŚslow down, Yandy! You JUST had a baby! Mendeecees wants to table that discussion given the uncertainly of his future. He knows heâs living on borrowed time and doesnât think itâs fair to add another child into their family that he may not be around to raise. Yandy doesnât care. If they focused solely on his pending incarceration, they wouldnât have daughter Skylar or the upcoming wedding. Speaking of precious Skylar, Yandy is holding her precious baby while telling Nina that she doesnât even allow herself to think about what could happen with Mendeecees sentence. That wonât end well!
At cocktail hour, Stevie is hanging with Marlo Hampton and Rasheeda who is spouting marriage advice to Yandy. Itâs incredibly important to carve out quality time with your spouse and maintain the friendship. Above all, if you need a story line, itâs quite alright to run over your husbandâs motorcycle and feign pretend anger at his secret bachelor pad, as long as things are peachy when the cameras arenât rolling. Okay, so I may have ad libbed that last part. Caesar from Black Ink, Yung Joc and Kirk Frost pose with Stevie J and wax poetic about how hard it is to find balance in relationships. For comic relief, weâre treated to a sullen Mendeecees and a giddy Yandy shopping for tuxes. Unbeknownst to Yandy, Mendeecees has invited his mother to join them, which doesnât sit well with Yandy given their recent beef. His mother arrives to stir the pot and confront Yandy about the wedding. Yandyâs blocked Mendeecees mom from her phone, but his mom extends an olive branch. Canât we all just get along? Iâm happy to see that these pre-recorded scenes are every bit as scripted as the show. I donât do well with change.
K. Michelle arrives to present Yandy with her âsomething blueâ and their conversation is every bit as forced and random as one would imagine. With Nina, Mendeecees mother plasters on a smile and robotically relays how beautiful Yandy will be as a bride. Kandi interjects that she doesnât need to channel Mama Joyceâs scowl in all of the wedding photos, and Momma Dee lectures on the importance of the women in their sonsâ lives respecting the queens who gave them birth. The parade of VH1 reality stars continues, and Tigger teases Karlie Redd about her past relationship with Joc. He gets so tickled, he almost forgets to remind viewers to vote on Yandyâs wedding dress. Kimbella has made it to the brideâs dressing room, and she is one piece of double sided tape away from a nip slip on live television. Not live? Yandy and her maid-of-honor/wedding planner shopping for the flowers and bickering over the lack of a venue. I, for one, am glad that VH1 recognized that two hours of live television would be a stretch. Mendeecees doesnât seem to care about price when itâs the $45,000 watch Yandy has Juelz present him just minutes before the ceremony. He toasts with his guys, including Rich Dollaz and Peter Gunz. Weâre less than thirty minutes from the ceremony, and everyone is taking their seats. Someone neglected to Ariane that itâs in poor taste to wear all white to a wedding that isnât hers. Stevie and Ariane are playing nice despite the fact theyâve been warring for seasonâs over the well being of Mimi Faust. Go figure! Nina is trying to calm Mendeeceesâ nerves who compares his wedding butterflies to the births of his children. In another pre-taped segment, Mendeecees explains why he pled guilty to the charges alleged against him. While heâs innocent (he says), he doesnât want to risk even more jail time by going to trial and being found guilty. He feels the plea deal is the best scenario for his family. Yandy is disheartened by the blogs and her friends thinking sheâs crazy for planning this extravagant affair, but Mendeecees believes they need the wonderful memories of their wedding day to get them through the next trying times.
Pre-ceremony, Nina questions Mendeeceesâ mom about her feelings on her sonâs impending incarceration. She advises her son on not flirting with anyone after he says I do. Good call. Stevie J interviews Mama Jones who reminds him that she is her own person. Regardless of the fallout between Yandy, Jim, and Chrissy, she considers Yandy to be her daughter and she wouldnât miss her wedding for anything. Tigger is catching up with Rich and Moniece who are now so in love. I am trying to remember how his season ended, but all I can recall are the crazies he attracted. Yandyâs father plans to walk her down the aisle, and we are shown highlights of her first time seeing her dad since he had his leg amputated due to a blood clot. He is also meeting Skylar and promises his daughter he will be proudly escorting her to meet Mendeecees at the alter. In real time, he jokes heâs more than ready to give away Yandy, and he is absolutely beaming. As the wedding party begins their processional, Nina gives us a play-by-play like sheâs an Olympic commentator. The crowd cheers for Mendeeceesâ mom and gives a standing ovation for Yandyâs mother. Mona Scott-Young is the next to enter before the bridesmaids who each garner whistles and applause as K. Michelle performs a song which Iâm not ashamed to say Iâll be purchasing on iTunes.
After a commercial break (how does that work for the wedding party? Thatâs a lot of standing!), Mendeeceesâ adorable sons make their way down the aisle before Yandyâs entrance with her father. Which dress did the Twitterverse choose? Why itâs the second more blingy gown that hasnât been a staple on TLCâs wedding shows. Truth be told, itâs the one I hoped sheâd be wearing. Yandy and her father slowly make their way to Mendeecees who is grinning from ear to ear. Damn. Iâm so cliche! I always cry at weddings! The minister leads the ceremony, joking that he loves that the first wedding Mendeecees has ever attended is his own. Exchanging vows, Mendeecees cites his nerves before espousing what are pretty typical wedding vows. No judgment, I like tradition. Yandy takes out her cheat sheet, and her sentiments are a bit more unique. And Iâm teary again. Gahhhh! Mendeecees goes in for a premature kiss so the minister speeds up the ring exchange. While I had to wait through almost two hours of fluff, it was a very heartfelt ceremony, and I am a bit bummed that we arenât privy to the entire reception. You know with that many VH1 reality stars, all that alcohol, and a bevy of glassware, thereâs bound to be some major shenanigans!
TELL US â WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE YANDEECEES NUPTIALS? DID YOU TURN INTO A SAP LIKE ME?
[Photo Credit: VH1]
