Yvette Nicole Brown Celebrates Star-Studded Bridal Shower: See the Photos! (Exclusive)
The Nov. 17 event's "Pearl Has Found Her Diamond" theme was a nod to the actress' time in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Yvette Nicole Brown is getting ready for her big day!
Ahead of her upcoming wedding to actor Anthony Davis, Brown, 53, celebrated a bridal shower with her girlfriends at Inglewood's only Black-owned wine bar, 1010 Wine & Events, on Sunday, Nov. 17. The star-studded event was hosted by seven women: Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lela Rochon Fuqua, Nikaya "ND" Brown Jones, Ranada Shepard, Sa'Rah Jones, Shernice Lazare and Kym Whitley, who was also "Shower Mistress of Ceremony."
The party's theme was "Our Pearl Has Found Her Diamond," an homage to Brown's sorority pearls and her diamond engagement ring. Thirty years ago, Brown graduated from the University of Akron in Ohio, where she was a member of the Delta Pi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
Calloway, who spearheaded the planning, told Brown that she needed to wear pearls and something white. But other than that, the Community star tells PEOPLE, she had no idea what to expect from her bridal shower.
"Everything else about it was a complete surprise," says Brown, whose makeup for the special occasion was done by her friend Beth Carter. Her hair was styled by Tara Copeland.
The guest list included a number of Brown's celebrity friends, among them Lisa Ann Walter, Kim Fields, Sunny Hostin, Essence Atkins, Holly Robinson Peete, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, Cree Summer Francks and Yvette Lee Bowser.
The women enjoyed a pink carpet photo experience, a toast to the bride with signature cocktails, crafting pearl jewelry, playing games, and watching a video of sweet messages and photos.
Guests and hostesses were also treated to curated gift bags.
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For Brown, who will tie the knot in December, having her friends' support on her journey toward the altar "means everything."
"I believe most of them have been married or are still married. I know a few of them have been at least proposed to," Brown says of her circle of friends. "This is my first everything. So it's exciting to be able to sit at their feet a little bit and get their opinions about things, and for them to tell me what they think about it all."
Although they have a great support system, Brown and Davis — who announced their engagement in December 2023 — have opted not to have bridesmaids or groomsmen at their wedding.
"Me and Tony decided that because we're the age we are, we can't pick a bridal party," Brown explains, jokingly adding, "It'd be 5 million [people]!"