Cheryl Des Vignes and Jerrold Smith II were writing their Los Angeles love story long before it ever played out on their Max reality show.
The high school sweethearts built a life together while they were in college — Smith, a basketball player at UCLA, and Des Vignes, a fashion design student at the Otis College of Art and Design — and continued to do so years after when they were tapped for the cast of Issa Rae’s “Sweet Life: Los Angeles.”
The hit series, which ran for two seasons on Max from 2021 to 2022, followed the duo and their friends as they navigated being young, Black and ambitious in South LA. But beyond that, the show also offered a beautiful portrayal of young Black love, as it captured Smith and Des Vignes taking their relationship to new heights.
“Sweet Life: Los Angeles” became a backdrop for so many of the couple’s chapters — from celebrating anniversaries and moving in together to getting engaged just before Season 2’s premiere — right in the city where their romance began.
So, it’s only right that Des Vignes and Smith tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony on May 1 at the historic Majestic Downtown venue in the heart of LA, surrounded by their closest friends and family.
“There are so many people here that we know and have seen our relationship evolve over the years, and we wanted them to be part of this moment,” the couple states of their hometown wedding in an email interview with HuffPost. “In the end, everyone we invited are our close friends and family who really know us, and are the people who we hope will be with us every step of the way throughout this next chapter.”
Des Vignes and Smith know they’re sharing their special moment with “Sweet Life: Los Angeles” fans, too. Viewers have still been very much invested in the couple’s lives, even years after their reality show was canceled.
“It’s a little crazy to think about sometimes,” Smith says, “and such a great feeling knowing that the supporters of the show are still out there rooting for us. It’s still so surreal to think about everything that came from the opportunity to be on ‘Sweet Life,’ and we’ll both forever be immensely indebted to Issa and HBO Max.”
“We miss ‘Sweet Life’ just as much as everyone who found comfort in our show,” he adds, “and in a perfect world, would have loved to have this moment be documented in the show for us to literally be able to share our big day with everyone that was tuned in.”
For now, the wedding photos the couple shares on social media will have to do.
“Sweet Life: Los Angeles” fans knew Des Vignes and Smith’s wedding was the endgame from the moment they first saw the couple on TV. I’m speaking of their very first scene together on their reality show, when Des Vignes manifested their nuptials. But marriage isn’t something the fashion designer grew up always thinking about.
“It was all kind of like a game of MASH,” she says. “At some point, I had a husband, some pets, and of course, we lived in a mansion.”
“When I was younger, everything was so what if,” Des Vignes adds. “I was just focused on ending up happy.”
Smith, on the other hand, says he always had married life on his mind, whether he was watching his parents, who have been together for more than 30 years, or other family members.
“I always knew that, at some point, I wanted to find someone to spend my life with,” he adds, “just like I had always seen around me.”
Smith has known that someone was Des Vignes since their college days, when the latter would trek to his school on weekends to stay with him. It would take a few more years for Smith to get around to their beachside engagement, but he’s been looking forward to their wedding day ever since — perhaps a bit more than his wife, who initially wanted something a little less traditional.
“My first choice was honestly to elope,” she admits, “and then have some sort of reception and all our focus be on the honeymoon. The ceremony of it all was more of Jerrold’s idea.”
“It was important to me that we got to have our big moment of celebration,” Smith explains. “For me, that meant getting a chance to see ourselves enjoy and bask in the glory of a wedding day.”
Still, the designer took on most of the arrangements anyway — “Between the two of us, I’m the planner” — although she outsourced help from her mom and closest friends when it came to her wedding gown.
“Even though I design clothes every day for my own brand, Des Vignes, I knew I didn’t want to create my own wedding dress,” she says. “Designing it myself felt like it could lead to unnecessary stress or disappointment, and I really wanted to be fully present for this moment in my life, not second-guessing every detail.”
Despite their different visions for the big day, Smith and Des Vignes found a balance that ultimately honored both of their wishes — a great way to set the tone for their future together.
Up next, the married pair has travel plans, with a honeymoon in Greece and a return to the Amalfi Coast in Italy set for the summer, just in time for Smith’s birthday: “Jerrold turns 30 in August, so it’ll be an extra special celebration!”
“It’ll be both of our first times in Greece,” they add, “and we can’t wait to experience the rich history, natural beauty, and, of course, take some time to relax and unwind after the wedding.”
Other than that, the two are keeping their life plans light to enjoy newlywed bliss. Their focus moving forward is on “continuing to grow and evolve together,” while staying grounded in the love that’s carried them this far.
“It’s important to us to enjoy life as much as possible and take things as they come, especially knowing we have forever to lean on each other,” they say. “Of course, different milestones will come up along the way, but we’re not rushing anything — we’re just excited for the journey ahead.”