Nikki Bella Was 'Very Honest' with Husband Artem About Wearing Wedding Dress from John Cena Engagement

Nikki Bella is getting real about telling her now-husband Artem Chigvintsev about wanting to wear a dress to their wedding she bought while engaged to ex John Cena.

"I was very honest with Artem," Bella, 39, tells PEOPLE exclusively about talking to Chigvintsev about wearing the dress. The dress discussion is captured in the premiere episode of Nikki Bella Says I Do airing Thursday, Jan. 26 on E!.

"I came to him because I would respect however he would feel with that," the WWE ambassador shares. "Artem was just so amazing with it. Not bothered at all. Even when the cameras weren't rolling out I was like, 'Artem, be honest. That's how you really feel?' And it really was."

Bella said it wasn't an issue because Chigvintsev, 40, knows her so well.

"Artem knows the kind of woman I am," Bella tells PEOPLE. "I'm very strong and independent. That dress to me represented who I am and what I loved and my dream."

"I paid for it. It was all me and was never actually worn for an event," she explains. "I was like, 'Why should I have to pick another dress?'"

Chigvintsev agreed. "To me, if I would have had an issue then I think we'll have bigger problems in our relationship," he tells PEOPLE.

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"I think we have so much trust and we know how much we love each other," Bella added. "He knows the love I have for him that he knows wearing that dress doesn't change the way I feel."

In her cover story for Brides' Wedding Fashion Issue, released last year, the Total Divas wrestler opened up about the four wedding gowns she wore during her Parisian wedding to her longtime partner.

Although Bella didn't share the exact details of her bridalwear, she did divulge what it was like finding her ensembles, including the one she bought while engaged to Cena.

In her search for the perfect pieces, the WWE ambassador realized the most important person to consider when curating her wedding wardrobe was herself.

"What brides will realize when they start searching for the dress is that what you wear is about you as a woman," she said. "It has nothing to do with the person that you're marrying or the people that are attending. It has everything to do with what you've envisioned for yourself and how you feel."

Defending her dress choice, Bella emphasized, "People will try to make you think differently and say, 'Oh, but it was for that person and that wedding.' But after being on this journey, what I realized was no, I didn't buy those dresses for that person. Yes, it was going to be for that event, but that event didn't happen."

Bella and Chigvintsev met in September 2017 when they were partnered on season 25 of Dancing with the Stars.

The duo reconnected in 2018 and made their relationship Instagram official in March 2019.

They got engaged during a trip to France in November of that year, but didn't announce their engagement until January 2020.

RELATED VIDEO: Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev Are Married: 'We Said I DO'

Two years after welcoming their son Matteo in July 2020 and after postponing their nuptials, the couple officially tied the knot in August.

The newlyweds announced their surprise wedding on Instagram with photos of their rings and a portrait of them looking out at the Eiffel Tower. "We said I DO," they captioned the post while sharing that further details would be aired on their upcoming four-part wedding special.

Nikki Bella Says I Do four-part wedding special airs Thursdays on E!