Love is indeed sweeter the second time around for Tina Knowles. The Queen B’s mother finally tied the knot with actor Richard Lawson last weekend while on board a luxurious yacht.
Sailing off the coast of New Port Beach, California, the 140-foot yacht named “Eternity” hosted the nuptials attended by the bride’s renowned daughters. Spotted on board was singer Beyoncé Knowles, her husband Jay Z and their little one, Blue Ivy who was also clad in white.
Newly wed Solange Knowles was also present for her mother’s special day. She has just tied the knot herself with Alan Ferguson five months ago in New Orleans.
The boat holds a total capacity of 300 people but the couple kept their celebration exclusive only to a selected number of friends and family.
In her keynote speech for the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation’s Eight Annual Women & Money Luncheon in Houston last October, Tina opened up about finding love after divorce. She gushed about Lawson and claimed to have been at her happiest after quite a while.
“It’s been now a year and five months and I’m in a committed relationship with that handsome man! And I’m at my happiest I’ve been in a long, long time,” the 61-year-old fashion designer said.
Tina’s first marriage was with Beyonce and Solange’s father, Matthew Knowles. They got hitched in 1980 but Tina filed for divorce in 2009. The two’s divorce was filled with scandal as Matthew was alleged to have an illicit affair with actress Alexsandra Wright. Several reports claimed that the actress was pregnant with Matthew’s child which had Tina reeling.
Eventually, Matthew confessed to having a relationship with Alexsandra and after Alexsandra’s son Nixon was born in 2010, Tina requested for a paternity test. The paternity test came back positive and Matthew was ordered by the court to provide child support to Nixon and Alexsandra.
Tina and Matthew’s divorce was then finalized in December 2011 and their 31-year marriage was put to an end. Tina went back on the market and a couple of years later, she started dating Lawson.
Lawson is famous for his role in the 1982 thriller Poltergeist . Like Tina, he had also been married before.
Paparazzi trailed the bride and her daughter throughout Tina’s special day. Tina and Beyonce were photographed leaving the yacht around noon. The two left together in an SUV before returning for the wedding ceremony.
[Image via Getty Images, iconosquares.com ]