Gabby Sidibe Is 'Against Tradition' for Her Wedding to Fiancé Who Is 'Using' Her for Industry Connections

Gabby Sidibe and Brandon Frankel have been engaged since 2020. In an interview, the former finally opened up about their wedding, noting that it would not be traditional. Find out why.

Since American Actress Gabby Sidibe and her Branding Expert fiancé, Brandon Frankel, went public with their relationship, fans and netizens have kept up to date with their beautiful romance.

From elegant PDA on social media posts to serenading each other with kind words during interviews, the pair have proven to be head over heels in love.

With how happy and unashamed Sidibe and Frankel are about the love they share, many people have assumed that the pair are husband and wife — a rumor the actress debunked via a post.

In November 2020, Sidibe took to social media to announce their engagement, and alongside a video of her flaunting her engagement ring, she added the caption:

"It's weird that people think we're already married, but I guess our hearts and intentions for each other are just that clear to see. My BFF proposed, and now I get to hold him forever."

One and half years have passed since Frankel popped the question, and the couple has finally opened up about the wedding they want. Here are details about the couple's sweet love story.

THE COUPLE MET ON A DATING APP AFTER GABBY VOWED TO BE MEANER TO MEN

Sidibe and Frankel first met on a dating app called Raya. For the latter, who had been previously married in his 20s and looking to find love again in his 30s, he never envisioned using a dating app, despite how popular they were.

"I never internet dated or had to use any of those apps. I told myself, 'I'm out. I'm done. I'll retire,'" the branding expert confessed.

But somehow, Frankel decided to give modern-day dating a chance, and he downloaded Raya, an exclusive, members-only dating app. While Frankel swiped yes to everyone, Sidibe, who only downloaded the app the day before, swiped yes only to him.

Initially, the branding expert believed Sidibe's account was catfishing him, but eventually, he gave her a chance, and the couple finally met for their first date, which lasted seven hours.

On their first meeting, the actress and her fiancé shared an immediate spark, and the rest became history. In May 2019, Frankel sparked dating rumors with Sidibe after sharing a selfie of the pair on his Instagram page.

However, their relationship only became official after the marketing expert posted a more intimate picture of him and Sidibe, with the caption, "One of my favorite humans in the world… I'll stop, so y'all don't throw up over the cuteness."

As time progressed, Frankel continued to flaunt his love for Sidibe with beautiful posts, one of which she responded in the comments section thus:

"You're my favorite love song. You're the cherry on top of this last decade and the foundation of the next… You make me happier than I've ever been. I'm so glad we found each other…."

Although the pair seemed deep in love, Sidibe made it known that during the beginning stages of their romance, she had some fears because of her flight personality. The actress noted:

"I was kind of dodgy and scared quite a lot in the very beginning of our relationship."

"[Then, during the pandemic], I just started trusting him. I really realized that like, this guy's not going to disappear, you know? And my big fear was that if I loved him, he would just poof and disappear. So, I was playing my cards very close to my chest," she added.

Surprisingly, the actress's romance with Frankel began after she promised herself to be meaner to men. In her words:

"I was not going to care what they wanted from me. I was never going to offer them anything. I would not cook for men or take care of men. And then, very quickly after that, I had a boyfriend."

THE COUPLE FIGHT FOR EACH OTHER

When it comes to her relationship, Sidibe is ready to do anything to have Frankel all to herself and keep other ladies away. On her fiance's 37th birthday, the "The Empire" star took to Instagram to wish Frankel, as well as sternly warn any lady with eyes for her man. Sidibe wrote:

"If you DM him, you DMing me too, and I will beat the breaks off [expletive] and [expletive] ain't gon be worth [expletive] if it's in a full-body cast."

While the actress fights for her man, Frankel is not left out, as he also fights for Sidibe and defends her from shameful comments. For example, in December 2020, the Golden Globe nominee was publicly shamed in an online meme posted by Rapper Twista on Instagram.

Twista posted a now-deleted picture of Sidibe and Bernice Burgos. Then, for the former's caption, he wrote, "make $30 in an hour, own a house, own car and no kids."

For the latter, he captioned, "staying couch to couch, no car, 12k followers on Instagram, three kids, three beds." Then, he asked netizens to choose between options A and B.

In response to the post, Sidibe said, "Wow, I um gee. I only like you as a rapper. I forgot about you in 2005. But good luck with option B." Then, the actress got backup from her fiance, who defended her by replying to Twista:

"C YOU NEED A JOB."

GABBY AND BRANDON ENJOY TEASING AND CELEBRATING EACH OTHER

Apart from fighting for and defending each other, Sidibe and Frankel also tease and celebrate one another. Once, the actress jokingly said her fiance was using her for industry connections. According to her:

"@brandontour finally moved in all of his plaques and stuff so that he doesn't have to go visit it all in the storage while he's using me for industry connections and professional gains."

On another occasion, Sidibe posted a picture of Frankel cooking on Instagram, and a nosy fan asked Sidibe if her man had a name.

"I assume so, but at this point in the relationship, I'm too embarrassed to ask him," the actress replied. On other occasions, Frankel jokingly teases Sidibe about her looks. The latter once revealed on Instagram thus:

"My man said I look like a 'really cool Bratz doll.' That's all I ever wanted."

Most importantly, the couple recognizes each other's hard work and celebrates their wins. In 2021 when Sidibe received an NAACP award nomination for best actress, Frankel took to Instagram to celebrate her.

"I'm constantly proud and amazed at what a hard working, dedicated person she is with anything she does. She took this character, made it her own, improvised, and NAILED IT! You deserve this and more, love you to death," he wrote.

GABBY DOES NOT WANT A TRADITIONAL WEDDING

In May 2022, Sidibe was interviewed for the Cover of the Brides Style Issue and opened up about her marriage plans. Technically, the actress said she will not be having a traditional wedding and will do things differently. Sidibe explained:

"It cannot be a traditional wedding. Really, it can't be. I don't want anything done the 'traditional' way. Our relationship is very much on our terms, and I want it to be fun, like a true party."

For her wedding dress, Sidibe confessed that she had no intentions of wearing white. The Hollywood star said, "she's leaning heavily toward bold color palettes and prints, unexpected silhouettes, feathers, and oversized jewelry."

"I'm super against tradition. I definitely don't need a white dress. My favorite look [from the shoot] was the pink African print," Sidibe said.

"Honestly, whatever I wear on the wedding day will probably be African print. It might have a little white, so it looks like a wedding dress, but it's definitely going to be colorful," she continued. Regarding other aspects of her bridal look, Sidibe noted:

"I want lots of jewelry in my hair. I also want beautiful eye makeup with very, very long butterfly eyelashes and a very bold lip."

The movie star also desires to mix the Senegalese, American, and Jewish cultures they both represent. "It will be a nice mix of African and Jewish touches," Gabby adds. "I want his background to absolutely be there because this is a partnership," the bride-to-be said.

For Frankel's outfit, Sidibe doesn't mind seeing her fiance in a suit, as he wore on for their cover shoot, making things real for them. "Seeing him in a suit just made things real for us," she adds. It also made me think, 'Oh, I want everybody there! I really want to celebrate this,'" she confessed.

Indeed, Sidibe looks forward to walking down the aisle with Frankel. From the onset, she never believed she could even date someone she liked. In her words:

"I couldn't imagine dating someone I actually liked. Turns out, totally possible!"

From falling in love to the surprise proposal, which Sidibe found out about after seeing a photo of an engagement ring on Frankel's phone, it has been a worthwhile experience.

Sidibe considers her fiance an "incredible partner," and for their big day, "they will write their vows or just freestyle at the altar."