Anika Noni Rose is a married woman!
The 50-year-old actress, who is most-widely known for being the voice of Tiana from Disney’s ‘The Princess and the Frog,’ tied the knot with longtime boyfriend Jason Dirden last October!
She opened up about her nuptials in a feature with Brides.com.
via JJ:
Anika and Jason first met in 2014 when starring in Broadway’s A Raisin in the Sun, and got engaged in 2021.
“We were friends for a couple of years, actually,” she says of their relationship, adding that they kept coming back to each other. “We both went off and did our own things and were disconnected for a while and then swung back.”
Jason added, “It was the right moment for both of us to be open and available for the possibility of what we have now.”
In the feature, Anika revealed that actor and former co-star Colman Domingoserved as their officiant, and also showed off his moves on the dance floor.
“Colman Domingo, our officiant, started doing the electric slide, which is something that I never thought was going to be at my wedding, but it was so much fun!” she shared. “Everybody knows a line dance, so all ages danced to that—there was an intergenerational joy and connection that was so fun to see.”
Anika made the day even more special by recording Norah Jones‘ “Come Away With Me” for their first dance, which she did the day before their wedding.
“The only other person who knew that this was happening was the DJ,” she recalls. “I saw the moment Jason realized it was me singing. Meanwhile, my family knew it was me from the moment the first beat dropped!”
She added, “Jason was so focused on the dance that it took him about two lines in before he had that Ah moment.”
Jason said of the surprise, “My first thought was: I did not know I was marrying a liar! It was so moving, so magical, and something I would have never expected.”
Anika wore a custom gown from Gbemi Okunlola of Alonuko Bridal, while Jason worked with Wayne Willis of Well Groomed Man “to create his single-breasted salmon wool suit and silk-charmeuse pleated tuxedo.”
Congrats to the couple! Check out photos via Anika’s instagram below.
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