By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Thursday, April 09, 2026

La'Boris Cole, the wife of gospel singer and pastor of The Chosen Vessel church in Fort Worth, Texas, Marvin Sapp, shot down critics of their lavish wedding on Sunday, insisting that the couple did not use church funds to pay for last month's celebration of their nuptials, which featured a ballerina, helicopter and sea of flowers.

Cole’s comments came as she was formally introduced to The Chosen Vessel congregation on Easter Sunday as Sapp’s first lady. The 59-year-old “Never Would Have Made It” singer invited his 37-year-old wife to share her vision for a personal ministry.

The licensed professional counselor then briefly segued into a spirited clapback at critics of her husband, who insinuated that the cost of their lavish wedding at the church was being paid with church funds.

Over the last year, Sapp, who infamously ordered ushers to shut the doors at a Christian conference until attendees collectively donated $40,000, had come under heightened scrutiny for his unapologetic fundraising tactics.

“Despite what the haters on the internet say about you, you are an integral man. You don't take or rob the church. The church didn't pay for the wedding. Y'all stop lying. God's been good to me. Y'all stop that. Now, y'all stop. Devil, you are defeated,” Cole declared.

“Saying all these lies about the man of God. I bought the helicopter. He didn't buy the helicopter. Let's make that straight while we screaming. Y'all stop lying? Stop it. Everybody not broke. And everybody don't need the church's money. So, hey, God's been good, y'all. I just don't look good,” she added.

Sapp and Cole wed on March 20 in a private ceremony at The Chosen Vessel Church following a courtship that began in 2024, according to an interview with Essence.

“In 2024, we decided to exclusively date and made it clear with intention that this would be a courtship leading to marriage. By 2025, we knew we were heading towards marriage and, while we kept our relationship private, we did start thinking about the practical aspects of a wedding — including when we wanted it to take place,” Sapp said. “We chose March 20 since it is the beginning of spring, representing a new season both literally and figuratively. We set the date before we were engaged! We were focused on establishing an unbreakable bond between us and taking the necessary measures to ensure we were entering into a marriage with a clear and aligned focus.”

The nuptials featured a grand entrance by Cole and members of her family in a helicopter. When news of the wedding broke on social media, some critics insisted that the wedding looked expensive, joking that the "doors must have been locked again." 

Cole insisted in her comments that both she and her husband have multiple streams of income and no need to use the tithes and offerings to fund their personal expenses.

“I have surrendered my life to God, and he's blessed me with multiple streams of income as well as the bishop. He has multiple streams of income outside the church. When he wasn't getting paid here, God still blessed him. God still blessed. So y'all go and record and tell that,” she said. “I tell Bishop all the time, I told God a long time ago, I'm not going to serve you and your people, and I'm broke. I look like brokenness. So how can I be a living witness to you all that God is healer?”

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News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/marvin-sapps-wife-says-church-funds-did-not-pay-for-wedding.html