Bette Midler and Martin von Haselberg Throwback Photos from Their 39-Year Marriage

The longtime Hollywood couple tied the knot in Las Vegas on Dec. 16, 1984

Bette Midler and her husband, Martin von Haselberg, are celebrating nearly four decades of love.

The Hocus Pocus star married the artist — also known by his stage name, Harry Kipper — on Dec. 16, 1984, in a "spur of the moment" Las Vegas ceremony, and they've been going strong since. Over the course of their 39 years together, their relationship has endured ups, downs and life in the spotlight. They're also proud parents to one daughter, Sophie von Haselberg.

Take a look back at photos from the Hollywood couple's lasting romance, from their whirlwind start to their staunch teamwork in parenthood.

Vintage Vibes

The couple first met in 1981, but they didn't kindle their romantic flame for another two years. Per Vanity Fair, Midler gave von Haselberg her phone number when they reunited at a club, and within six weeks of their first official date, they were married.

Vegas, Baby!

Despite their glamorous Hollywood lives, they skipped an opulent ceremony in favor of a Las Vegas wedding officiated by a part-time wedding impersonator. They didn't even get their hands on the photos from their spontaneous union until 2008, when the chapel closed down and unearthed the couple's pictures.

Decades after their 1984 nuptials, the Emmy winner told Jimmy Kimmel that she was the one to propose.

Finding Their Footing

While they didn't hesitate to marry, The Stepford Wives star didn't automatically jump into a new, shared life with von Haselberg. Midler told Vanity Fair that they waited a couple months to move in together — “I hardly knew him!” she said.

And their whirlwind romance wasn't always easy to navigate.

“We had a lot of trouble the first couple of years,” she explained during the same 1991 interview with Vanity Fair. “We had a tremendous amount of trouble. He couldn’t understand why I would get so upset about things and he couldn’t retaliate. But it’s all kind of evened out now.”

'Making It Work'

Seconding Midler's determination, von Haselberg added of their wedding: “Even though I didn’t know her at all, I remember consciously making the decision that no matter what happens I’m going to keep working at this to make it work. Even if it turns out that she’s not the person I think she might be, I’m just going to keep going through it and making it work," he told Vanity Fair.

Party People

Born in Argentina and raised in England and Germany, von Haselberg made his name as a performance artist in the Kipper Kids duo with Brian Routh. They began performing in 1970, but once both von Haselberg and Routh settled down, their comedic act slowed down.

In recent years, the European artist has turned his focus to more contemporary visual work. He's also spent time working in the finance world, a wholly opposite industry which von Haselberg liked to keep separate from his creative pursuits, as he once told the Los Angeles Times.

'Rare' Love

In honor of their 30th anniversary in 2014, Midler spoke to PEOPLE about her keys to keeping up a healthy Hollywood marriage, something she acknowledged as "rare."

“I think the secret is giving each other a lot of lead and a lot of room and not being in each other’s faces all the time,” the singer, actress and comedian said. "Listening," she added, is another required skill. "Listening is very hard. And compromise. Compromise is the hardest of all.”

Eyes for You

Throughout their relationship in the spotlight, von Haselberg has continuously showed up in support of his wife. He's celebrated her many talents at a variety of award ceremonies from the Grammys to the Golden Globes, at film openings, at her annual Hulaween Halloween Gala and beyond.

In 1991, von Haselberg couldn't take his eyes off his movie star spouse at the premiere of For the Boys in Beverly Hills.

Keeping Close

In a 2014 interview with Good Morning Britain, the Gypsy star got real about the ups and downs of their enduring relationship. Midler admitted that she and von Haselberg “used to fight bitterly," but worked at their relationship in order to bring up their daughter, Sophie von Haselberg.

"We never wanted to hurt that kid in any way and we stayed together until it got better, and it did get better and it was really fascinating,” the Tony winner said, per Digital Spy. “And both of us, we both look back and we just like wipe our brows and say, ‘What the hell was that?’ ”

Sophie Makes Three

The pair welcomed their only child, Sophie, in November 1986, after just two years of marriage. When their daughter was younger, she steered cleared of the spotlight and matriculated into a sociology degree at Yale University. After graduation, however, she was drawn to the entertainment industry.

Sophie (pictured with her parents in 2014) revealed why she had a change of heart in a 2017 interview with Vanity Fair. "I wanted to carve my own path!" she explained. "I never wanted to be compared to [my mom], but I've since accepted it as something completely unavoidable."

Since her career pivot in 2014, Sophie has booked roles in American Horror Story, Ask for Jane and Pose, among other on-screen appearances.

Team of Two

Midler and von Haselberg had even hands in raising their daughter to her full potential. The twice Oscar-nominated actress proudly praised her husband in her 2014 PEOPLE interview, dubbing him "probably the greatest father who ever lived."

She gushed, "He’s fantastic. He picked up the slack when I was on the road. He taught her a foreign language. He taught her to cook.”

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Read the original article on People.