Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella.Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/GettyNikki Bellais getting real about telling hernow-husband Artem Chigvintsevabout wanting to wear a dress totheir weddingshe bought while engaged to exJohn Cena.“I was very honest with Artem,” Bella, 39, tells PEOPLE exclusively about talking toChigvintsevabout wearing the dress. The dress discussion is captured in the premiere episode ofNikki Bella Says I Doairing Thursday, Jan. 26 on E!.“I came to him because I would respect however he would feel with that,” the WWE ambassador shares. “Artem was just so amazing with it. Not bothered at all. Even when the cameras weren’t rolling out I was like, ‘Artem, be honest. That’s how you really feel?’ And it really was.“Bella said it wasn’t an issue because Chigvintsev, 40, knows her so well.“Artem knows the kind of woman I am,” Bella tells PEOPLE. “I’m very strong and independent. That dress to me represented who I am and what I loved and my dream.““I paid for it. It was all me and was never actually worn for an event,” she explains. “I was like, ‘Why should I have to pick another dress?'“Chigvintsev agreed. “To me, if I would have had an issue then I think we’ll have bigger problems in our relationship,” he tells PEOPLE.Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella.Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagicNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“I think we have so much trust and we know how much we love each other,” Bella added. “He knows the love I have for him that he knows wearing that dress doesn’t change the way I feel.“In hercover story forBrides’ Wedding Fashion Issue, released last year, theTotal Divaswrestler opened up about thefour wedding gownsshe wore duringher Parisian weddingto her longtime partner.Although Bella didn’t share the exact details of her bridalwear, she did divulge what it was like finding her ensembles, including the one she bought whileengaged to Cena.In her search for the perfect pieces, the WWE ambassador realized the most important person to consider when curating her wedding wardrobe was herself.“What brides will realize when they start searching for the dress is that what you wear is about you as a woman,” she said. “It has nothing to do with the person that you’re marrying or the people that are attending. It has everything to do with what you’ve envisioned for yourself and how you feel.“Defending her dress choice, Bella emphasized, “People will try to make you think differently and say, ‘Oh, but it was for that person and that wedding.’ But after being on this journey, what I realized was no, I didn’t buy those dresses for that person. Yes, it was going to be for that event, but that event didn’t happen.“Bella and Chigvintsevmet in September 2017when they were partnered on season 25 ofDancing with the Stars.The duoreconnectedin 2018 and made theirrelationship Instagram officialin March 2019.They got engaged during a trip to France in November of that year, but didn’t announce their engagement until January 2020.RELATED VIDEO:Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev Are Married: ‘We Said I DO’Two years afterwelcoming their son Matteo in July 2020and after postponing their nuptials, the couple officially tied the knot in August.The newlyweds announced their surprise wedding onInstagramwith photos of their rings and a portrait of them looking out at the Eiffel Tower. “We said I DO,” they captioned the post while sharing that further details would be aired on their upcoming four-part wedding special.Nikki Bella Says I Dofour-part wedding special airs Thursdays on E!

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella.Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

Artem Chigvintsev (L) and Nikki Bella attend the PUBG Mobile’s #FIGHT4THEAMAZON Event at Avalon Hollywood on December 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

Nikki Bellais getting real about telling hernow-husband Artem Chigvintsevabout wanting to wear a dress totheir weddingshe bought while engaged to exJohn Cena.“I was very honest with Artem,” Bella, 39, tells PEOPLE exclusively about talking toChigvintsevabout wearing the dress. The dress discussion is captured in the premiere episode ofNikki Bella Says I Doairing Thursday, Jan. 26 on E!.“I came to him because I would respect however he would feel with that,” the WWE ambassador shares. “Artem was just so amazing with it. Not bothered at all. Even when the cameras weren’t rolling out I was like, ‘Artem, be honest. That’s how you really feel?’ And it really was.“Bella said it wasn’t an issue because Chigvintsev, 40, knows her so well.“Artem knows the kind of woman I am,” Bella tells PEOPLE. “I’m very strong and independent. That dress to me represented who I am and what I loved and my dream.““I paid for it. It was all me and was never actually worn for an event,” she explains. “I was like, ‘Why should I have to pick another dress?'“Chigvintsev agreed. “To me, if I would have had an issue then I think we’ll have bigger problems in our relationship,” he tells PEOPLE.Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella.Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagicNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“I think we have so much trust and we know how much we love each other,” Bella added. “He knows the love I have for him that he knows wearing that dress doesn’t change the way I feel.“In hercover story forBrides’ Wedding Fashion Issue, released last year, theTotal Divaswrestler opened up about thefour wedding gownsshe wore duringher Parisian weddingto her longtime partner.Although Bella didn’t share the exact details of her bridalwear, she did divulge what it was like finding her ensembles, including the one she bought whileengaged to Cena.In her search for the perfect pieces, the WWE ambassador realized the most important person to consider when curating her wedding wardrobe was herself.“What brides will realize when they start searching for the dress is that what you wear is about you as a woman,” she said. “It has nothing to do with the person that you’re marrying or the people that are attending. It has everything to do with what you’ve envisioned for yourself and how you feel.“Defending her dress choice, Bella emphasized, “People will try to make you think differently and say, ‘Oh, but it was for that person and that wedding.’ But after being on this journey, what I realized was no, I didn’t buy those dresses for that person. Yes, it was going to be for that event, but that event didn’t happen.“Bella and Chigvintsevmet in September 2017when they were partnered on season 25 ofDancing with the Stars.The duoreconnectedin 2018 and made theirrelationship Instagram officialin March 2019.They got engaged during a trip to France in November of that year, but didn’t announce their engagement until January 2020.RELATED VIDEO:Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev Are Married: ‘We Said I DO’Two years afterwelcoming their son Matteo in July 2020and after postponing their nuptials, the couple officially tied the knot in August.The newlyweds announced their surprise wedding onInstagramwith photos of their rings and a portrait of them looking out at the Eiffel Tower. “We said I DO,” they captioned the post while sharing that further details would be aired on their upcoming four-part wedding special.Nikki Bella Says I Dofour-part wedding special airs Thursdays on E!

Nikki Bellais getting real about telling hernow-husband Artem Chigvintsevabout wanting to wear a dress totheir weddingshe bought while engaged to exJohn Cena.

“I was very honest with Artem,” Bella, 39, tells PEOPLE exclusively about talking toChigvintsevabout wearing the dress. The dress discussion is captured in the premiere episode ofNikki Bella Says I Doairing Thursday, Jan. 26 on E!.

“I came to him because I would respect however he would feel with that,” the WWE ambassador shares. “Artem was just so amazing with it. Not bothered at all. Even when the cameras weren’t rolling out I was like, ‘Artem, be honest. That’s how you really feel?’ And it really was.”

Bella said it wasn’t an issue because Chigvintsev, 40, knows her so well.

“Artem knows the kind of woman I am,” Bella tells PEOPLE. “I’m very strong and independent. That dress to me represented who I am and what I loved and my dream.”

“I paid for it. It was all me and was never actually worn for an event,” she explains. “I was like, ‘Why should I have to pick another dress?'”

Chigvintsev agreed. “To me, if I would have had an issue then I think we’ll have bigger problems in our relationship,” he tells PEOPLE.

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella.Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Artem Chigvintsev (L) and Nikki Bella attend FOX’s Teen Choice Awards 2019 on August 11, 2019 in Hermosa Beach, California.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I think we have so much trust and we know how much we love each other,” Bella added. “He knows the love I have for him that he knows wearing that dress doesn’t change the way I feel.”

In hercover story forBrides’ Wedding Fashion Issue, released last year, theTotal Divaswrestler opened up about thefour wedding gownsshe wore duringher Parisian weddingto her longtime partner.

Although Bella didn’t share the exact details of her bridalwear, she did divulge what it was like finding her ensembles, including the one she bought whileengaged to Cena.

In her search for the perfect pieces, the WWE ambassador realized the most important person to consider when curating her wedding wardrobe was herself.

“What brides will realize when they start searching for the dress is that what you wear is about you as a woman,” she said. “It has nothing to do with the person that you’re marrying or the people that are attending. It has everything to do with what you’ve envisioned for yourself and how you feel.”

Defending her dress choice, Bella emphasized, “People will try to make you think differently and say, ‘Oh, but it was for that person and that wedding.’ But after being on this journey, what I realized was no, I didn’t buy those dresses for that person. Yes, it was going to be for that event, but that event didn’t happen.”

Bella and Chigvintsevmet in September 2017when they were partnered on season 25 ofDancing with the Stars.

The duoreconnectedin 2018 and made theirrelationship Instagram officialin March 2019.

They got engaged during a trip to France in November of that year, but didn’t announce their engagement until January 2020.

RELATED VIDEO:Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev Are Married: ‘We Said I DO’

Two years afterwelcoming their son Matteo in July 2020and after postponing their nuptials, the couple officially tied the knot in August.

The newlyweds announced their surprise wedding onInstagramwith photos of their rings and a portrait of them looking out at the Eiffel Tower. “We said I DO,” they captioned the post while sharing that further details would be aired on their upcoming four-part wedding special.

Nikki Bella Says I Dofour-part wedding special airs Thursdays on E!

source: people.com