NEWS AND EVENTS

NBA Star Desmond Bane’s Blue and White Wedding on the Beach in Mexico

Tatum Talley and Desmond Bane first crossed paths at their college orientation in August 2016, when both were new to the Texas Christian University campus. Over their next six years together, they traveled together to Mexico several times. “We kept choosing Cabo and it became a special place for us,” says Tatum. So when they began planning their wedding in September 2022, the region was a clear choice. Not only was it one of their favorite destinations, but it offered convenient travel for their stateside guests—plus a beach vibe they loved. 

Tatum, a fitness instructor, and Desmond, an NBA player with the Memphis Grizzlies, chose the Four Seasons Resort and Residences, Los Cabos at Costa Palmas for their 210-guest wedding on September 7, 2024. Wedding planner Maria Alva helped them make their “beach wedding” vision a reality, with “a lot of flowers, white and baby blue colors, and natural scenery,” says Tatum. “I was very decisive on what I wanted at each event when it came to decorations and scenery. I knew exactly what I liked and what I did not. I had a vision ever since we chose the resort, and I was not letting the vision go.” 

Still, the planning was a joint effort, with Desmond even choosing the final color palette. Tatum originally imagined a monochrome wedding, with the bride and groom in white and the wedding party in black—but as the day approached, Desmond requested that his groomsmen wear gray and blue instead. The bridesmaids switched to light blue gowns—a choice that Tatum was thrilled with. “Hints of baby blue made the wedding day so much more bright and serene,” she says. 

Another area that required compromise: the playlist. “Choosing the songs for the weekend was one of the more challenging parts, because my husband and I have different music tastes,” she says. “However, something we can always agree on is our love for old school R&B.”

As the couple’s guests gathered for their welcome party, rehearsal dinner, and wedding, Tatum and Desmond embraced the opportunity to enjoy every moment. “Have fun! The weekend goes by too fast to stress about all of the planning,” says the bride. “Stay present and take in the entire weekend. Have no expectations, so that the weekend is perfect and goes natural for you. If something messes up, forget about what was meant to be and still enjoy it. It goes by way too quickly.” Relive the event, ahead, in these exclusive photos shot by Megan Kay Photography.

The on-property Casa de Brasa restaurant provided a chic setting for the couple’s formal rehearsal dinner. Guests offered impromptu speeches full of love and good wishes for the couple, and the night ended with a surprise dessert: Desmond’s favorite, ice cream cake. 

“One of my favorite memories was at the rehearsal dinner, my sister, along with Desmond’s sisters, gave the most moving speeches that really validated our love for each other, and the love for the family that now gets to become one. It is a great feeling being so loved by each other’s family,” says Tatum. “We then got to announce to our best friends and family members that we are expecting our second child. That was a very fun and sweet surprise for everyone.”

Desmond and Tatum also hosted a beachfront welcome party at the venue’s Casa de Brasa, where they chose fashion on-theme for the location. “My dress had pearls hanging down with a mermaid style bralette top, with mermaid hair of course, to fit a perfect vibe for a beach loving bride,” says Tatum of her Fashion Nova frock.

A spray of ivory and peach roses decorated the custom bar, where the couple served monogrammed coconuts filled with coconut mojitos. “They were a party favorite,” says Tatum. “The scene had beautiful hanging string lights, a taco bar, DJ, and s’mores and churro stations which made for a wonderful first-night gathering.”

The welcome party’s simple décor previewed the wedding’s blue and white color palette thanks to creamy runners and etched ceramic plates set with pale blu napkins and goblets.

For the wedding, the bride chose to keep her makeup understated and her hair in loose waves. “I wanted to look like me,” she says. “I wanted to feel like myself, but feel prettier than ever before. My husband loves me with little to no makeup, so that was his preference. I wanted my hair down and curly, because my hair has always meant a lot to me.”

An engagement ring and wedding band set from Robert Irwin Jewelers sparkled on the bride’s hand, while lace-trimmed heels from Betsey Johnson peeked out from under the hem of her gown. The bride’s sister provided the couple with wedding-day fragrances as a gift: Coco Chanel Mademoiselle for Tatum and Bleu de Chanel for Desmond, each in bottles customized with the wedding date.

Tatum took her son, two friends, and their children wedding-dress shopping with her—which made for a less-than-relaxing trip. “I think anyone with toddler-age children knows it was a disaster having multiple children around expensive dresses,” she says. But when she tried on a mesh Galia Lahav mermaid gown with floral overlay and beaded straps, she wasn’t the only one who loved it: “Once I found the dress, my toddler gave me a hug and said, ‘Mom you look beautiful,’ in his precious toddler voice. That made the evening well worth it,” she says.

Tatum adorned her white orchid bouquet with charms that included photos of her with her late father; the groom added photos of his late grandparents to his lapel. “Family is so important to us, so we always want to incorporate those who we love and lost,” she says.

The mid-planning switch from black gowns for the bridesmaids to blue worked out better than Tatum even imagined. “I am so grateful that happened,” she says. “I had always thought baby blue on a beach was such a timeless look. This was, for sure, a favorite color I noticed for all of the summer weddings in 2024.”

Desmond wore a navy suit—sans tie—from Indochino, and took the opposite approach for his groomsmen: light gray suits and blue ties. “My man is a very laid-back, casual man,” says Tatum. “His prep was to reduce stress by hanging out with his best friends and listening to music. He also had a basketball practice the morning of to sweat out some nerves.”

Clouds of white baby’s breath framed the couple’s welcome sign, which previewed the blue and white color palette. A natural woven aisle led to a wooden platform where an arch of white and ivory blooms from Cristina G Florals framed the couple as they exchanged vows in front of the ocean; sand-colored chairs let the florals—and the view—stand out.

Flower girls in tulle-strapped tutu gowns decorated with tiny butterflies walked barefoot down the aisle during the processional. Tatum and Desmond’s son donned a navy Indochino tux of his own to match the groom, and “was so excited to give his dada the ring box—but he kept getting distracted by the overhead drone,” says Tatum. The bride’s brother, Hayden Talley, escorted her to the altar as a violinist performed “Oceans” by Hillsong United.

Tatum and Desmond held their legal ceremony in the United States before the wedding, so they kept their beach ceremony personal and sentimental. “We wrote our own vows; they were both uniquely beautiful,” says the couple. Tatum quotes one of her favorite lines from her promises to Desmond: “‘If you ever feel as if the weight of the world is too heavy, I will be standing beside you with my arms wide open’—to ensure [my] husband he will never again have to do life alone again,” she says.

“At the end of the ceremony, we walked down the aisle to ‘Candy Rain’ by Soul for Real,” says Tatum. The couple then posed for portraits with their extended family, including Desmond’s relatives, who donned outfits in rich royal blue.

Strings of lights twinkled under the clear tent, while lavish chandeliers lit each table. Central arrangements of gleaming candles, bud vases, and towering florals made the room “one of the most beautiful events I had ever seen,” says Tatum.

Like the butterflies on the flower girl’s tutus, the ones on the edge of the menus were a nod to the couple’s late family members. “We had a lot of butterflies in random places to represent the lives of the loved ones we had lost,” says Tatum.

The bride and groom’s first dance made sparks fly—literally. “Our first dance ended with sparklers, and my husband had no idea of that happening, so he quickly tried to move me out of the fire path not knowing what the plan was,” says Tatum. “It was funny and cute.”

A wooden monogrammed dance floor then offered space for an “ecstatic” party. “My photographer claimed it was one of the most hype dance floors she had ever seen, dancing from all age ranges and guests,” says Tatum. “It was wonderful.”

After chefs at the venue provided a meal of short ribs, wasabi mashed potatoes, leeks, and carrots, the newlyweds served a five-tier red velvet cake with cream cheese filling, decorated to match their white floral palette.

One of the bride’s favorite parts of the day was incorporating a Nigerian wedding tradition. “My husband’s father is from Nigeria, and it’s custom to be ‘danced in’ by the family as they throw money at the new couple,” she says. “Dancing with Desmond’s grandma was one of the most special memories I will ever have. All of the family in their matching royal blue was so beautiful.”