Tika Sumpter is finally giving up the details about her Mexican wedding getaway. The actress wed her The Haves and Have Nots co-star Nicholas James on May 14, 2022, after meeting back in 2015 on the set of the Tyler Perry series. In an exclusive interview with Brides for their third digital issue of the year, Tika gave a play-by-play of her adults-only destination wedding. The couple settled on getting married in the popular tourist city, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico after reflecting on the beautiful experience they had visiting the beach town in 2016 during their babymoon. The couple shares a 5-year-old daughter named Ella.
“It was so beautiful, and it wasn’t too far away from California, so it was an easy trip,” Tika recalled. Once they finalized the location, it was time to find the venue. They found a local wedding planner who helped them secure Chileno Bay Resorts & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection for their wedding space.
The wedding festivities kicked off on Friday, May 13 with the welcome party. Guests mixed and mingled amongst each other as well with the bride and groom. The welcome party was also the opportunity for family and friends to give speeches. Tika reflected on Tyler Perry as well as her brother’s speeches. “We're great friends, so hearing both ends of the stories—when things were bad and things were good and everything in between—was so great,” Tika said recalling Tyler’s speech.
For her wedding ceremony, the Ride Along actress wore a Galia Lahav wedding dress with a floral motif and while it wasn’t your typical beach bridal gown, it all came down to how it made her feel.
"I kind of knew right away. It wasn't about the destination. It was about how I felt in the dress,” she said. “I wanted to feel sexy, but I also wanted to feel like a bride. This is my first and last wedding, I’m praying, so I just wanted to kind of blow it out."
They got married on the beach with their daughter, who did double duty as the flower girl and ring bearer, by their side. After the ceremony, the guests moved on to cocktail hour while the newlyweds took their official photos as husband and wife. And then it was party time. Tika changed into another look for the reception. “I wanted something fun and flirty, short and a little sexier so that I could dance,” she said.
As the three-day extravaganza came to a close, Tika was very grateful to her guests for taking time out to spend the weekend with them and be a witness to her and Nick’s love.
"My favorite part of the planning process was just looking at all of the names of my friends and family who were coming," Tika expressed. "Each one made me smile, so it made me even more excited to plan something beautiful. I wanted everybody to have a great time. I really had my friends, my family, my future husband in mind—it wasn't just for me. It was a real celebration of all the people who have held us up on this journey to make it what it is. They're really part of that thread. It was almost like a gift for them to really love where they are, love being together, and just overall having a really great time."
Check out Brides for more exclusive photos of Tika and Nicolas' three-day wedding event.
Featured image by Jana Williams Photography, courtesy of Brides
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Courtesy of SheaMoisture
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Featured image courtesy of SheaMoisture
Whatever the case, TikTok is making sure we have everything we need to "lock in" for the rest of the year. Heralded as "The Great Lock In," TikTok's latest wellness trend is the collective reset designed to transform your life by December.
If you've been seeing the phrase pop up on your FYP, here's a quick breakdown of The Great Lock-In and how you can make the rising wellness trend work for you.
What Is The Great Lock In?
The Great Lock In Wellness Trend, Explained.
TikTok creators define "The Great Lock In" as a 17-week journey, taking place from September 1 to December 31. Think of it as a not-so-distant relative to the wellness trend concepts of 75 Hard/75 Soft or last year's viral Winter Arc. The Great Lock In is all about re-programming your mind to reprogram your life.
As one TikTok creator, @_tatianaforbes explained in her TikTok, "It's all programming your mind to go hard for a sprint of time. It's not meant to be forever. But it's meant to be this time where you put forth immense effort in some area of your life."
That area could be your finances, fitness, sleep habits, or even your personal style. And while The Great Lock In is framed as a "sprint," the true W is establishing the powerful habits you build along the way, the ones that shift your mindset, setting the tone for your physical or mental transformation. The name of the game is focus. And what you focus on, you magnify, creating space for radical change that feels bigger than your average glow-up.
@_tatianaforbes/TikTok
The Great Lock In Rules
The Rules of Engagement
So how does one lock in to The Great Lock In? The concept itself might sound intense, but the rules of engagement are more straightforward than you'd think. If you're ready to commit, here are some of the most common "rules" TikTok creators like @silkx.co are swearing by during this end of the year sprint:
- 90 days of pure discipline
- Wake up by 5 a.m.
- Go to bed by 9 p.m.
- Work out 5-6 times a week
- Take 10,000 steps daily
- Read 10 pages of a book daily
- Drink 3 liters of water daily
- Max protein intake goals daily
- Write 3 things you're grateful for
- No fast food
- No sugar
- No alcohol
- No excuses
- Eliminate distractions
- Focus on yourself
@silkx.co/TikTok
How To Make The Great Lock In Work For You
You don't have to do all of the rules of The Great Lock In to see results by December 31. We want to level up and thrive, not burnout in survival mode. Yes, this is a 17-week sprint to transformation, but it doesn't mean you have to box yourself in self-improvement hell. Like author James Clear reminds us in the ultimate self-development book, Atomic Habits, "All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger."
TikTok creator @cloudsjoo echoes this approach to transformation, encouraging small, sustainable shifts versus a complete life overhaul from day one. Maybe you build toward 10,000 steps a day by starting off with a 30-minute walk per day. Or if you're rule is no fast food (physical) or no eating out (financial), a small step could look like cooking more meals at home each week and leaning more on meal prep.
The beauty of The Great Lock In lies in its flexibility. It's a framework for building systems that actually fit into your life long-term. Locking in doesn't mean perfection, it means commitment. It's choosing yourself through consistency and trusting that those small steps will lead to the glow-up you've been envisioning for your life.
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