When Vanessa landed her first feature role in the film Redefining Love, she confirmed that Nick had been there to support her every step of the way.
“He’s very supportive and very calming,” she told PEOPLE. “He’s one of my biggest cheerleaders.”
August 2008: Vanessa reveals Nick said “I love you” first
While promoting the comedy film Disaster Movie, Vanessa told PEOPLE that Nick said “I love you” first. “The L-word is not thrown around by men as easily as it is by women — but I didn’t say it first! He’s very loving. We’re very open and vocal,” she explained. Vanessa also joked that she had to stop working out with her boyfriend, telling PEOPLE, “I swear, he’s running 11 miles a day. I can’t run. That’s the one thing I can’t do, because I feel like the further I jog away from my house, the further I have to jog back!”
June 2009: Nick and Vanessa briefly split
While speaking to Las Vegas columnist Robin Leach, Vanessa hinted that wedding bells could be in her future, saying, “This romance is still going strong … Maybe this will be the one time I wind up the bride instead of the bridesmaid!” A few weeks later, however, reps for Nick and Vanessa confirmed to PEOPLE that they had called it quits. At the time, Vanessa’s rep told PEOPLE, “They have amicably split but remain good friends who still greatly care for one another.”
October 2009: Nick reveals he and Vanessa are back together
After a short break, Vanessa and Nick decided to give their relationship another go. During an appearance on Good Day Philadelphia, Nick said, “I was single for a minute there, and then we’ve kind of patched things up.”
November 2010: Nick proposes to Vanessa
Nick popped the question to Vanessa in November 2010 with a Bader & Garrin Asscher-cut diamond flanked with trapezoids, a source told PEOPLE. “We’re excited and incredibly happy about our engagement and we look forward to a wonderful future together,” the couple announced in a joint statement. Nick would later tell Entertainment Tonight that he proposed on both knees in a “full begging position.” Meanwhile, Nick’s ex-wife, Jessica, dispelled rumors that she was unhappy about the engagement, telling Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM, “I couldn’t be more happy for Nick.”
January 2011: Vanessa and Nick are “enjoying being engaged”
While promoting a guest spot on NBC’s hit series 30 Rock, Vanessa shared that she was in no rush to head down the aisle, saying, “We’re enjoying being engaged.” When it came to the topic of wedding planning, she explained, “Everyone rushes to the next step and I like this step. I’m in love and we’re happy, so when it comes and it happens organically I will welcome it with open arms.”
March 2011: Vanessa says Nick will be a “great dad”
Two months after getting engaged, Vanessa suggested that raising their beloved Yorkipoo was practice for becoming parents, telling PEOPLE, “I think he’s gonna be a great dad.” She continued, “We’ve had our trial run with our dog Wookie. We share responsibility equally and he’s amazing.”
April 2011: Vanessa discusses the strength of her romance with Nick
As their wedding date got closer, Vanessa revealed to PEOPLE that Nick always has her back. “There’s nothing we can’t work out, and there’s nothing we can’t talk through,” she said. “There’s no obstacle we can’t overcome, and that’s a beautiful, comforting thought.” As for whether or not their Yorkiepoo, Wookie, was going to be a ring-bearer at her nuptials, Vanessa joked, “He’d panic down the aisle and probably run off with the rings. Maybe I should get started on that, right?”
June 2011: Nick discusses his upcoming wedding to Vanessa
One month before their wedding, Nick got candid about his future wife, telling PEOPLE, “Vanessa is not at all a bridezilla … I can’t imagine an easier bride through all of this than she is.” He also opened up about the couple’s wedding planning process, saying, “I’m a big believer in making sure she gets what she wants. I really want it to be her vision and her fantasy, but we’re a team effort and we both try to split the load equally.”
July 2011: Nick and Vanessa get married
Nick and Vanessa tied the knot in an intimate island ceremony on July 15, 2011. The couple surprised 35 of their closest friends and family with a trip to Necker Island — Sir Richard Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands. Nick told PEOPLE, ”Our wedding invitations were in the form of a plane ticket. We told them they were going away and the attire was island chic.” Vanessa, who wore Monique Lhuillier for the wedding, told PEOPLE, “For us, this is just a stepping stone to do what we ultimately want and that’s to start a family together.” The couple also aired their nuptials on TLC.
November 2011: Vanessa takes Nick’s last name
Four months after getting married, Vanessa took her husband’s last name on Twitter, switching her handle from @VanessaMinnillo to @VanessaLachey. The actress tweeted, “I’m making it official, and I LOVE my ‘new name’!” Vanessa later told Access Hollywood, “I said, ‘But would it mean a lot to you if I took [your name]? Because I’m old fashioned and I want to.’ And [Nick] said, ‘What guy wouldn’t want their girl to take their name fully?’ [But] He didn’t push me, no, no, no.”
September 2012: Nick and Vanessa welcome their first baby
On Sept. 12, 2012, the Lacheys welcomed their first child, son Camden John Lachey. In a statement, the couple told PEOPLE, “Born today at 6:54 p.m., he came into this world at 8 lbs., 9 oz. and 21 inches. Love has truly been redefined for both of us.” Vanessa shared a photo of baby Camden via Twitter, calling him “the new Love of our lives.”
January 2015: Nick and Vanessa welcome their second baby
Vanessa and Nick welcomed their second child, daughter Brooklyn Elisabeth Lachey, on Jan. 5, 2015. “I have been dreaming of this moment for as long as I can remember, the day I was going to meet my little girl.” Vanessa wrote on her website. “A friend recently told me how magical today was going to be because it’s the day I would meet my best friend.”
December 2016: Nick and Vanessa welcome their third baby
The couple welcomed their third child, a son named Phoenix Robert Lachey, on Christmas Eve 2016. Phoenix was born 10 weeks prematurely.
April 2017: Nick and Vanessa discuss their “all hands on deck” approach to parenting
For PEOPLE’s annual World’s Most Beautiful issue, Nick and Vanessa opened up about their life at home with their three children. “That was one of the things I think that really drew us to each other is we both really value family and how important family is,” Nick explained. Meanwhile, Vanessa said the key to raising their three little ones was “a lot of teamwork.” “I say this all the time: I would not be able to do this without an active husband, daddy,” she added. And while the pair said they still “carve out time” for themselves, Vanessa admitted that it required careful planning. “There’s no spontaneous date nights,” she said. “We have to make a full plan [and] make sure there’s nothing with the [kids’] schedules.”
July 2020: Nick and Vanessa celebrate their 9th wedding anniversary
Nick and Vanessa commemorated their ninth wedding anniversary with touching Instagram posts. In a sweet tribute to his wife, Nick wrote, “I feel incredibly lucky to have found my soulmate and ultimate partner in life and love.” Vanessa wrote on her own Instagram, “14 years ago today, you said ‘I Love You’. 9 years ago today, we said ‘I Do’. Today, I say ‘Thank You.'”
November 2020: Nick celebrates Vanessa’s 40th birthday
In honor of Vanessa’s 40th birthday, Nick serenaded his wife with a rendition of The Cure’s “Pictures of You.” The singer captioned his Instagram post, “I can honestly say I love you more and more each year. I can’t wait to spend the rest of our birthdays together and celebrate all the milestones along the way.” That same month, Vanessa told PEOPLE that Nick had been a “stay-at-home superdad” while she filmed Lifetime’s original holiday movie People Presents: Once Upon a Main Street.
March 2022: Nick defends Vanessa on the Love Is Blind finale
As co-hosts of Netflix’s dating reality show Love Is Blind, Nick and Vanessa found themselves caught in the middle of the drama at the season 2 finale. Vanessa called out contestant Shake for placing too much of his focus on physical attraction. Praising her own husband, Vanessa said, “I hope to God if I’m mangled, knock on f—— [my husband Nick Lachey] stands by my side. And I know he will because he loves me for me.” Nick and Vanessa Lachey Used to Go Through Each Other’s Phones — But Therapy
