Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey's Relationship Timeline

Nick and Vanessa Lachey tied the knot in July 2011 and have three children together

From co-hosting multiple hit Netflix reality shows to raising their three children together, Nick and Vanessa Lachey are an impressive pair.

The longtime couple first met on the set of MTV's Total Request Live. Vanessa, born Vanessa Minnillo, was a host on the show, while Nick regularly made appearances with his band 98 Degrees. At the time, Nick was still married to his first wife, Jessica Simpson, whom he separated from in 2005.

Nick and Vanessa started dating in 2006, and their romance quickly turned serious. The MTV veejay announced she was leaving TRL in 2007, shortly after moving in with Nick.

Related: Why Vanessa Lachey Got Real About Her Relationship with Nick on The Ultimatum: 'Just Me Being Me'

After a brief split, the pair tied the knot in 2011 and have since welcomed three children. While raising their family, the couple have used some unorthodox conflict resolution techniques to help them communicate better.

As Vanessa told PEOPLE Now in February 2020, "I don't let it fester, he doesn't let it fester … We speak our minds. Sometimes you have to walk away." Nick interrupted to explain that a simple game helps the couple delegate daily household tasks, saying, "Don't lie, it's all about rock, paper, scissor."

From competing against one another on season 25 of Dancing with the Stars to co-hosting Netflix's reality hits Love Is Blind and The Ultimatum, the duo continues to show their support for one another.

Here's everything to know about Nick and Vanessa Lachey's relationship.

2003-2006: Nick and Vanessa meet on TRL

Nick first met Vanessa on the set of MTV's TRL, when Vanessa was a veejay on the long-running show.

In 2017, Nick told Billboard, "I wouldn't necessarily say TRL brought us together, but that was definitely part of our time together — me being a musician and her being on-air talent. I saw her multiple times throughout the years when she was on TRL."

At the time, Nick and his then-wife Jessica were the stars of MTV's Newlyweds. After three years of marriage, Nick and Jessica announced their split in November 2005.

February 2006: Vanessa stars in Nick's music video

Despite meeting at TRL, things didn't turn romantic for the pair until Nick invited Vanessa to play his love interest in the music video for "What's Left of Me."

In a 2017 interview with Billboard, Vanessa shared how the music video marked a turning point in their relationship.

"[The] video, which was on TRL, was the beginning of our relationship. That's what made it no longer friends and it got romantic. To the point that if you go back and look at the video, when he came to premiere it, I was so nervous and so crushing him that I didn't show up for work that day. I called in sick," she explained.

March 2006: Nick and Vanessa are spotted in New York together

After he was briefly linked to Kristin Cavallari in early 2006 (Cavallari later said the two were just friends), Nick was spotted with Vanessa in New York City that March. A source told PEOPLE that the pair were allegedly getting up-close-and-personal at W Union Square's Underbar. The following evening, they were seen dining with friends at Flamma in Soho and then went on to hotel 60 Thompson until almost 1:30 a.m.

December 2006: Nick and Vanessa celebrate New Year's Eve

In what would become an iconic moment in the couple's courtship, Nick and Vanessa rang in 2007 together at MTV's live New Year's Eve party in Times Square. They were seen on camera kissing at midnight and then moved on to New York's Marquee club after-party.

"Vanessa always looks gorgeous," the former 98 Degrees frontman told PEOPLE at the time.

March 2007: Vanessa credits "privacy" with making her relationship with Nick work

After nearly a year of dating, Vanessa opened up to PEOPLE about her relationship with the singer. "[Nick] is a nice guy. He's in the studio recording right now [in] L.A., Nashville, New York. All over, with something for everyone to look out for," she shared.

As for what makes the couple click, Vanessa said, "I think the thing that makes it work is our privacy."

February 2008: Vanessa calls Nick her "biggest cheerleader"

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."

Related: Nick Lachey Says His Kids Didn't Think He Was Cool Until The Masked Singer: 'Whatever It Takes'

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."

March 2020: Vanessa talks "shower sex" with Nick

During an appearance on The Bellas Podcast in March 2020, Vanessa credited "shower sex" as the key to her happy marriage with the "I Can't Hate You Anymore" singer.

"I'm in the shower and I'm like, 'I have a full day. You have a full day. It's either now or never,' " she told the hosts. "The kids are at school. It happens and then later that night, if you get like the cherry on top, great. But if not, we already did shower sex."

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."

Related: Nick and Vanessa Lachey Used to Go Through Each Other's Phones — But Therapy Helped Them Stop

Shake later attempted to explain his controversial actions while addressing the show's female contestants, saying, "I'm not attracted to all of you. Unfortunately, the only one I'm attracted to is Vanessa — and I wish I wasn't! I wish I wasn't. The point is, it's not a choice. You don't choose. It's nature, baby. We're animals."

Defending his wife and the other contestants, Nick retorted, "No, you treat animals. We're human beings. There's a big difference."

April 2022: Vanessa reveals she gave Nick a marriage ultimatum

While hosting Netflix's Love is Blind spinoff, The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, Nick and Vanessa discussed their own journey down the aisle. Speaking to the show's contestants, Vanessa shared, "We dated for five years. So I finally said, 'What are we doing?' " She continued, "I have now moved in with him, I renovated his entire bachelor pad, there was a bar in the pool. I'm like, 'Whatever you want!' Now I'm like, 'Okay, well, I want to put kids in the pool.' "

Vanessa also revealed that the couple saw other people during their brief split early on in their relationship.

"We both saw one other person and we realized that if we got out of our own way, we could be amazing together," she said. "But it took seeing somebody else and me realizing I don't mind the things that I thought bugged me or were holding me back. I don't mind all that."

July 2022: Nick and Vanessa adventure in Hawaii with their kids

Nick and Vanessa took their three children on a tropical adventure in July 2022. Vanessa posted a cute selfie of the family on a bike ride through Hawaii's famous banyan trees, and later shared a sweet "island style" portrait of her, Nick and their kids posing in front of a sunset.

October 6, 2022: Nick and Vanessa share a trailer for Netflix's Love Is Blind season 3

In a joint Instagram post, Nick and Vanessa teased the third season of the hit show Love Is Blind. In the post, they share a trailer for the new season, which features multiple men getting down on one knee to propose as well as one contestant suggesting to "swap fiancées." The trailer concludes with host Vanessa, alongside Nick, asking, "Is love truly blind?"

In the caption, the hosts wrote, "The pods are officially OPEN! #LoveIsBlind season 3 returns October 19th to @netflix 👀 Who's ready?!"

October 19, 2022: Nick thinks he and Vanessa would have "gravitated to each other" in Love is Blind pods

Nick is certain he would have found Vanessa in the Love is Blind pods had they been on the reality show together.

"We've thought about that, often. And I really, I'm not just saying this for the benefit of this show, I think we would've," he told PEOPLE. "We have the same birthday, we have the same passions, we have the same interests, we have the same drive."

Vanessa was touched by the thought. She responded: "You would've found me through a wall?"

To which Nick confidently said, "I would find you anywhere. I really do think we would've found each other. I think we would've gravitated to each other. That's what we did in life."

November 9, 2022: Vanessa celebrates Nick on their joint birthday

Nick and Vanessa both marked their birthdays, with the former boyband member turning 48 and his wife turning 42 on the same day. Vanessa marked the occasion by uploading a photo of a birthday cake to her Instagram Story.

She then shared a video featuring the two on a sailboat set to "If I Ain't Got You" by Martin Novales. Alongside the clip, she wrote, "Happy Birthday, My Love! Who knew sharing a birthday together would be sooo much fun!!! Especially for two Scorpios!"

Vanessa also explained the photos in the video, saying, "So, this is just a fun throwback to our FIRST birthday as husband and wife in 2011 (in Hawai'i). I remember we saw whales in November and the captain said that was good luck. I knew in my heart it was true."

February 1, 2023: Vanessa says she and Nick rely on "constant communication" in their marriage

Vanessa and Nick have learned a lot about relationships while hosting Love Is Blind, but nothing tops the importance of communication. The NCIS Hawaii star revealed that her marriage relies on "constant communication" to be successful.

"If people really turn towards each other and communicate, you will find that a lot of misunderstandings will get resolved," Vanessa told E! News. "You will find that nobody's a mind reader and you can actually really hear your partner out and understand where they're coming from and maybe help cater to that."

April 16, 2023: Vanessa and Nick host the live season 4 reunion of Love Is Blind

Nick and Vanessa hosted Netflix's first-ever live reunion special. However, there were a few technical difficulties and the live season 4 reunion of Love Is Blind aired 75 minutes after its original premiere time.

Fans waited patiently, only to be taken aback by Vanessa's interrogation-style interview with cast member Paul Peden.

"It was drilling into these things. In all, it's alright. I think that no matter what you say, no matter what the conversation is, your character comes through in what you say," Peden told PEOPLE after the show.

Vanessa seemingly addressed the backlash on Instagram.

"I want to take a moment, on this platform, to acknowledge the intense vulnerability that goes into our show (each season). I'm so proud of this cast and their willingness to put themselves out there," she wrote. "It wasn't easy and this has been a LONG process to get to the reunion. Please keep in mind online (and in life) that "words have weight". What you say to someone you don't know (and don't know the whole story to) can have a lasting affect on them … in many different ways. Mental health should always be treated with respect."

May 14, 2023: Nick calls Vanessa the "most amazing mother on the planet"

In honor of Mother's Day, Nick posted about Vanessa on Instagram, calling her the "most amazing mother on the planet."

"Our three kids are the luckiest little people on Earth to have you as their Mommy and I couldn’t imagine a better partner to go through this crazy journey with!!" he captioned a family photo. "We all love you so very much. You awe me every, single day."

July 15, 2023: Nick and Vanessa celebrate 12 years of marriage

Nick and Vanessa celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary with posts about one another on Instagram.

"Vanessa, not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for your love, your patience, your understanding, your fight and determination, your support, and your willingness to always work through the tough times. While we don’t always have it all figured out, nor claim to, we know that together we can find our way," the 98 Degrees alum wrote alongside a series of throwback images.

In a separate post, Vanessa said: "17 years together, 12 married! I LOVE growing old with you! Happy Anniversary, Baby!"

November 9, 2023: Vanessa celebrates Nick turning 50 on their shared birthday

In honor of her husband's 50th birthday, Vanessa reflected on the first birthday the couple ever spent together.

"November 9, 2006. 18 years ago, we celebrated our first birthday together," she captioned a throwback image on Instagram. "I will never forget the feeling I had in my heart when you told me we had the same birthday! You were meant for me! I Love sharing my birthday with You, but more importantly, I Love sharing Life with You!"

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