At a Glance
- Chris Pérez accidentally stepped on Selena’s beaded white dress at the 1994 Grammys
- The dress is now displayed at the Grammy Museum’s new Selena exhibit
- Pérez considers the black-and-white jacket from their early relationship his most nostalgic piece
- Why it matters: This personal story offers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the couple’s relationship during Selena’s historic Grammy win
Selena Quintanilla made history at the 1994 Grammys when she became the first female Tejano artist to win Best Mexican-American Album. Her husband Chris Pérez was right there with her, though he remembers the night for a slightly different reason.
The Dress Incident
Pérez, now 56, shared the memory exclusively with News Of Losangeles during a press preview for the Grammy Museum’s new exhibit in Los Angeles. While fans see the iconic beaded white dress and admire its beauty, Pérez remembers a more comical moment.
“It’s funny,” he said. “People see the dress and of course she looks amazing, beautiful… But what I remember is being at the actual event and I’m following her – and I just remember her putting her hand on my stomach behind her like, ‘Back up, back up!'”
The problem? He was unknowingly stepping on the dress’s elaborate beadwork.
“I was stepping on the stones [of her dress] on the ground and I kept hearing crunch, crunch, crunch,” Pérez recalled. “So if you look at the dress you’ll see it in the back. I mean it’s kind of hard to see because it’s in the very back but good times nonetheless.”
The white dress, worn when she won for Selena Live!, stands as one of 15 artifacts in the new Grammy Museum exhibit.
The Most Personal Artifact
Among all the items on display, one holds special significance for Pérez personally: the black-and-white jacket Selena wore for the Entre a Mi Mundo album cover.
“The reason for that is because that was the very early stages of our relationship,” he explained. “So when I see that, I remember those times and it was just a really special time. That one probably gives me the most butterflies when I see it.”
Pérez joined Selena y Los Dinos as a guitarist in 1990. The couple eloped in 1992, three years before Selena’s tragic death on March 31, 1995.
A Time of Uncertainty and Joy
Looking back on those early days, Pérez remembers both the uncertainty and excitement of the band’s rising success.
“Just the success that the band was starting to see and not really knowing where it was going to go… There’s a lot of uncertainty but on the other sense of being a part of the family, part of the band. It was just an incredible time.”
The Exhibit Opens
Selena: From Texas to the World represents the first official display of Selena’s personal artifacts outside the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas. The exhibit opened to the public on January 15 and will remain open through March 16.
When asked about Selena’s legacy, Pérez hopes the artifacts capture “the happiness she would put across through her songs and her performances.”
“The allegria (Spanish for joy) that she had when she was doing the thing that she loved to do the most, I think all that came across, and I’m very proud to say I’ve been a part of all that stuff with her,” he said.
Keeping Her Memory Alive
Pérez continues to honor Selena’s memory in his daily life. In November, following the Netflix premiere of the documentary Selena y Los Dinos, he shared with News Of Losangeles how she still influences his decisions.
“I think about Selena every day,” Pérez said. “When I’m making a decision, I can hear her in my head, like, ‘I don’t know – are you sure you wanna do that?'”
The Grammy Museum exhibit brings together rare personal items that showcase not just Selena’s musical achievements, but the joy and passion she brought to her performances. For Pérez, these artifacts represent more than historical objects – they’re tangible connections to memories of love, music, and a relationship that ended far too soon.
Key Takeaways
- Chris Pérez accidentally damaged Selena’s Grammy dress by stepping on its beadwork during the 1994 ceremony
- The black-and-white jacket from their early relationship holds the most personal meaning for him
- The Grammy Museum’s new exhibit marks the first time Selena’s artifacts have been displayed outside Texas
- Pérez continues to feel Selena’s influence in his daily decision-making
