Sheryl Lee Ralph and Vincent Hughes marked their 20th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows
The Abbott Elementary actress and the Pennsylvania state senator reaffirmed their commitment to one another in front of 250 guests on the famous staircase at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
7 August 2025
The iconic stairs are known as the Rocky Steps because Sylvester Stallone famously ran up them in 1976's Rocky, and a line from the film - "It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward" - has always struck a chord with Sheryl.
Sheryl told America's Vogue magazine: "In marriage, we have so many things that happen in life.
"People live. People die. Relationships change. You change. Your partner changes. Your family, your immediate family, your extended family - there are changes in life. And then there's just the everyday of it. How are you able to get back up again and continue being together? I love that sentiment."
Sheryl wore a custom white dress by Monsoori Haute Couture with an 80ft shawl over the top designed by Perry Meek.
Making a dramatic entrance, 22 ballerinas from Philandco followed behind Sheryl as they carried the shawl up the 72 steps, and she was met halfway by Vincent as Diana Ross' Ain't No Mountain High Enough played.
The senator gushed: "Sheryl was beautiful - is beautiful. Coming up those steps? She was just all of that and a bag of barbecue potato chips."
The actress' daughter, Coco, helped style her mom for the big day.
Sheryl said: "Fashion for me is absolute theatre. I come from the stage, and I love the drama of what you bring on the stage." I
The couple, both 68, had originally planned for the ceremony to be an intimate affair.
Sheryl laughed: "My husband has turned into groomzilla, and his list is twice as long as mine."
After exchanging personal vows, the celebrations moved inside the museum, where the reception entertainment included a dance by Philandco and a surprise performance from the Tony award-nominated actress herself, who sang L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole.
The couple have famously never lived together, with Sheryl based in Los Angeles with her two children and Vincent living and working in Pennsylvania when they first met and neither wanting to uproot their lives or careers.
Sheryl said: "I wasn't at a place where I was willing to give up my career, but I also didn't want to give up having a stable relationship with the kind of man that I knew would be there for me.
"When Beyoncé says, 'You put my love on top,' he put my love right on top, top, top."
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