Bride-to-be Naturi Naughton made the announcement on her Instagram account, however, she did not reveal her fiancé's identity. In the newest issue of ESSENCE magazine, the “Power” actress revealed she had a very good reason why she preferred to keep her relationship private.
“For me it was important to be cautious about sharing it, especially at the beginning of our engagement, so we could focus on that bonding time,” she told ESSENCE magazine. “Sometimes in the industry people put their opinions on things and make you feel like you need their opinion, and I don’t.”
Naturi’s “Power” co-star Omari Hardwick introduced her to her fiancé, Two Lewis, who is a prominent figure in the music industry. At first, Omari connected them on a musical level, but it blossomed into Black Love.
“Omari spoke so highly of Two to me. I don’t even know that he was trying to hook us up,” she recalled. “I think he was just trying to put us together musically. I don’t think it was intentional. But to this day Omari’s like, ‘I knew this was what you needed!'”
She added, “I can be a challenge and he knows Two’s the man for the challenge
And the beginning of their dating experience was a semi-challenge for Naturi, but in a good way. He had a one-year rule where he didn’t want to involve anything sexual while getting to know her so he could get to know her on a deeper level before officially putting a label on it. Interesting.
“I have that one-year rule where I want to build a friendship and build something I could see lasting for a long time,” he told the publication. “I was very impressed that she waited this time out. We learned each other, prayed with each other, went to church with each other, and just developed this real foundation and connection and friendship.”
It didn’t take long before the 37-year-old actress realized he didn’t just have his one-year rule in place for nothing. This man was ready for marriage.
“I had to accept that the same way women have standards, men, especially a good man, do too,” she said. “The way he emphasized our relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves, just being able to do things that weren’t about the physical, sex or things like that, it let me know he wanted to dig deeper level and get to know me on a spiritual and an emotional level. That was how I got more comfortable because I started to see, Wait a minute. This ain’t just for boyfriend time, this is a setup for a husband.”
After the one-year mark, Two knew she was the one, so he popped the question during the holidays last year. He also involved Naturi’s 4-year-old daughter, Zuri, whom she shares with her ex-boyfriend, Ben.
“I wanted to make sure Zuri knows how she should be cared for and loved for the future,” he said. “Naturi always says I do over-the-top things and I always tell her I try do over-the-top things so [Zuri] knows not to settle for the bare minimum. I want her to have her standards high when she gets older so knows what to accept.”
Two made sure to speak with Zuri’s father to get his blessing, which Naturi said she’s grateful for. And she's adjusting to having a man help around her home now.
“It was a little scary at first,” she shared. “It took me a while to adjust to having help. To having a man in the house and a person who was there full-time with me, parenting her. I loved that Two respected Zuri’s dad and the fact that it was just Zuri and I. And I had to learn to trust again. I had to learn how to not compare Two to any past experiences.”
She continued, “I just felt like the way he stepped up as a father figure in her life and giving her a ring when he proposed, it just made me realize that it was more about the love of family and not just me alone. He really loves my daughter.”
Aww! Little Zuri will be the flower girl in the wedding and she’s uber excited.
In preparation for the Big Day, Naturi and Two have been attending premarital counseling with Montell Jordan and his long-time wife, Kristin Jordan. The singer will be officiating the wedding this Spring. Omari will be Two’s best man, obviously.
“Lifechanging!” Naturi said about the counseling sessions. “They’ve literally given us an awesome foundation, a playbook and a guide to what it takes to create a lifetime of happiness.”
“We’re just focused on what matters the most. It’s not the wedding, it’s the marriage,” Naturi said. “Even if it only was five people at our wedding and our family and parents witnessing, we would be ok. The wedding is about us and the commitment to our future.”
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