Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin's Relationship Timeline

Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin have been together since they met at church in 2009

Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

After more than a decade of marriage, Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin are still going strong.

The model and cinematographer met in 2009, and despite a rocky first date, Ervin eventually won Graham over. He proposed to her in June 2010, and the couple tied the knot two months later.

The pair have since welcomed three sons together, and their bond has only grown stronger with parenthood.

"I can't express how to describe what I witness day-to-day as @ashleygraham takes every moment of every second to care for our new little boys. 'Impressive' is too small. 'Amazing' is closer. 'Mother' is perfect. I love you," Justin wrote on Instagram in 2022.

From meeting at church to becoming parents of three boys, here is everything to know about Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin's relationship.

2009: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin meet and go on their first date

AMBER DE VOS/Patrick McMullan via Getty
AMBER DE VOS/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Graham and Ervin first met at church in 2009, connecting at an event Graham calls "porn Sunday."

"The church we used to go to had themes," she explained to Cosmopolitan in August 2016. "This Sunday, they had ex-porn stars talk to the congregation about how porn ruined their lives."

Apparently, Ervin's friend pushed him to make a move while they were all in the elevator together. In her memoir A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like, Graham wrote (per Glamour), "​​When two tall men walked in, I didn't bat an eye. One nudged the other and said, 'If you don't talk to her, I will.' " Though she didn't initially think Ervin was her type, their conversation won her over and she agreed to a date.

The pair's first date did not go exactly as planned, though. In another part of her memoir, Graham recalled how Ervin made sure she paid her half of the bill. "I paid my share of the $5.25 and thought, this is the last date," she wrote.

A month later, she decided to give Ervin another chance. According to Graham's memoir, his communication skills, "consistency and openness" put him in a new light.

June 2010: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin get engaged

After over a year of dating, Ervin proposed to Graham on her front stoop in Brooklyn with a unique gold band. "He's so amazing," Graham told PEOPLE. "We come from different backgrounds, but we have the same viewpoints on religion and family."

August 14, 2010: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin get married

Ervin had a strict timeline in mind for their engagement. After she said yes to his proposal, he told her, "I want to get married in two months," as Graham later told Harper's Bazaar. Despite the time crunch, the couple were able to pull it off.

Of their wedding ceremony, she told the outlet, "​​For me, I love tradition. Our vows were traditional, my dress was a bit traditional, but everything else was really modern." She added, "[Our wedding] was about celebrating each other. It was a bit traditional. It was a celebration of what the rest of our lives were going to be and celebrating the most important people in our lives."

March 2016: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin have a long-distance marriage

Aaron Davidson/FilmMagic
Aaron Davidson/FilmMagic

The couple spent much of the early years of their marriage apart as Graham was based in New York City and Ervin lived in Los Angeles. In a March 2016 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Graham opened up about how they made their long-distance marriage work. "We have a rule. We don't go longer than two weeks without seeing each other," she said. "It's absolutely fabulous. I love it. We just meet in L.A. or New York. We meet in Paris, Miami. It's pretty sexy."

May 2017: Ashley Graham opens up about her interracial marriage with Justin Ervin

Kevin Mazur/Getty
Kevin Mazur/Getty

When Graham brought Ervin to Nebraska to meet her family for the first time, things didn't go as well as she planned. "I never told my grandparents that the man I was bringing home was Black. I naively hoped everyone would be color-blind — which is not what happened," she wrote in her memoir. "When my grandparents met Justin, my grandmother was cordial but cold. She greeted him and immediately walked away. When it came time for them to leave, my grandparents didn't even acknowledge him. I had never seen my loving, hardworking and wonderful grandma be so hurtful and so racist. I was in shock."

Despite the cold greeting, Ervin continued to try to win Graham's grandmother over, and he called her on her 60th wedding anniversary. "He's not a texter or an emailer; he's a pick-up-the-phone-and-call-you ­person, and anniversaries are a big deal to him," Graham recalled. "Afterward Grandma called my mom and said, 'You'll never guess who called me.' And from then on out, she loved him."

She continued, "Thanks to Justin's constant communication, I envisioned a marriage that was more than just two people loving each other. And now we have that marriage: a partnership dedicated to building something bigger than ourselves."

January 9, 2019: Ashley Graham talks about her sex life with Justin Ervin

Arnold Jerocki/GC Images
Arnold Jerocki/GC Images

Graham shared her advice for married couples during an interview with Elle. "Just have sex! Have sex all the time. Even if you don't feel like it, just have sex," she said. Of her relationship with Ervin, she added, "I have found that if we haven't had sex, we get snippy, and then if we are having sex, we're all over each other. For us it's like, 'Oh, let's have sex.' And then we're just right back in a great mood."

August 14, 2019: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin reveal they're expecting their first baby

Ashley Graham Instagram
Ashley Graham Instagram

Graham and Ervin celebrated nine years of marriage on Aug. 14, 2019. The couple honored the milestone on Instagram and shared their pregnancy news, showing off Graham's baby bump toward the end of a sweet video. "Nine years ago today, I married the love of my life. It has been the best journey with my favorite person in the world!" Graham wrote alongside the video. "Today, we are feeling so blessed, grateful and excited to celebrate with our GROWING FAMILY!" she wrote. "Happy anniversary, @mrjustinervin ❤️ Life is about to get even better."

November 7, 2019: Ashley Graham reveals she and Justin Ervin are having a son

Ashley Graham Instagram
Ashley Graham Instagram

During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Graham shared that the couple were expecting a baby boy. "I'm having a boy!" Graham told Ellen DeGeneres. "I'm gonna be a mommy to a boy!"

January 18, 2020: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin welcome their first baby

Graham gave birth to her and Ervin's first son Isaac Menelik Giovanni on Jan. 18, 2020. "At 6:00pm on Saturday our lives changed for the better," Graham wrote on her Instagram Story. Addressing her followers, she added, "Thank you all for your love and support during this incredible time."

October 28, 2020: Ashley Graham opens up about her and Justin Ervin's post-baby sex life

In October 2020, Graham got candid about how she and Ervin kept the romantic spark alive as new parents — it involved scheduling their intimate time to coincide with baby Isaac's naps.

And although some new parents might feel nervous about having sex after giving birth, Graham said she felt the opposite. "A lot of women have asked me, 'Were you afraid to have sex again?' Not at all," she told PEOPLE. "And the reason I wasn't was because I know my vagina was made to have a baby and to push it out, and I knew it was going to go right back [to what it was]. Everything's still in there, it all feels the same, the furniture is just probably rearranged."

March 2020: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin spend family time in Nebraska

Ashley Graham Instagram
Ashley Graham Instagram

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Graham and Ervin traveled to Nebraska to quarantine at her family's farm.

"My husband, Justin, my son and I have been out here on my aunt's farm. Being here means so much to me. This is where I would come every summer to see my family and be with my cousins," she told Vogue. "The times we are in feel surreal and have put everything into perspective. I'm using this time to appreciate the family time I get to enjoy with Justin and Issac."

July 13, 2021: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin are expecting their second child

Graham announced her second pregnancy on Instagram in July 2021. "The past year has been full of tiny surprises, big griefs, familiar beginnings and new stories," she captioned a maternity photo. "I'm just beginning to process and celebrate what this next chapter means for us."

Ervin posted the same photo on his own account, writing, "Felt so nice, we had to do it twice. I'm proud of the amazing mother @ashleygraham is and will be - again! Love you. Love us! All of us."

August 14, 2021: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary

Ashley Graham Instagram
Ashley Graham Instagram

On their 11th wedding anniversary, Graham posted a sweet tribute to Ervin on Instagram to celebrate. "I have loved you immensely for 11 years. and I'll love you for 100 more," she wrote. "You are my forever. Happy anniversary my Justin."

September 20, 2021: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin announce they are having twin boys

Ashley Graham Instagram
Ashley Graham Instagram

In September 2021, Graham shared a video from an ultrasound appointment on Instagram. In the clip, she revealed that the couple were expecting twin boys. "Are you serious? We're gonna have three boys?" she said with a laugh. Ervin responded, "You are kidding me!"

December 2, 2021: Justin Ervin compliments Ashley Graham's stretch marks

A few months later, Graham showed off her baby bump in a revealing photo on Instagram. She captioned the nude photo with a sweet compliment from her husband. "Justin ​​says my stretch marks look like the tree of life," she wrote.

January 7, 2022: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin welcome twins

Ashley Graham Instagram
Ashley Graham Instagram

Graham announced the birth of her twin sons Roman and Malachi in an Instagram Story. "Justin and I are so excited that our baby boys are here. They were born early this morning at home and are happy and healthy," she wrote. "I'm taking some time to heal up and connect with my husband and three boys, but I truly cannot wait to share more with you all. Much love, AG."

Ervin reposted Graham's Story on his Instagram account, adding, "I love you, @ashleygraham. Thank you, Jesus for our supernatural birth! Thank you all for your prayers and support."

The following month, Graham opened up about the difficult transition to being a mother of three. "Having three kids under 3 is quite a full-time job," she told PEOPLE. "Just 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. is already a full day."

May 20, 2022: Ashley Graham reflects on the traumatic birth of her and Justin Ervin's twins

In May 2022, Graham opened up about her near-death childbirth experience. According to the model's essay in Glamour, she "lost liters of blood" and could not "walk for a week" following the birth of her and Ervin's twins.

In the essay, she also revealed that she had a miscarriage in February 2021. "Because it was my second pregnancy, I started to show early, and we were so excited," she said. "But at the end of February, I had a miscarriage. It was devastating; it felt like one of the biggest losses I had ever had in my life to date."

November 11, 2022: Ashley Graham supports Justin Ervin at his movie premiere

Ashley Graham Instagram
Ashley Graham Instagram

In November 2022, Graham was on hand to support her husband at the premiere of the Netflix documentary, Is That Black Enough for You?!?, which Ervin did the camera work for. She later shared a series of photos and videos from the night, including a shot of her giving Ervin a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations my Justin on the premiere of your @netflix movie 🫶🏼 proud of you always, grateful to be your biggest cheerleader ❤️❤️‼️" she wrote in the caption.

December 31, 2022: Ashley Graham celebrates Justin Ervin's birthday

Ashley Graham Instagram
Ashley Graham Instagram

On her husband's 37th birthday, Graham shared a photo of Ervin playing with all three of their sons. "Happy birthday hubby. i love doing life with you ❤️‍🔥🎂 @mrjustinervin," the model captioned the adorable shot.

March 15, 2023: Ashley Graham reveals that Justin Ervin got a vasectomy

During an interview on the Milk Drunk by Bobbie podcast, Graham shared that Ervin underwent a vasectomy following the birth of their twin boys.

"We're in full vasectomy mode. He's shooting blanks now. I don't have to be on a pill, thank God," she said.

The model went on to share that she's happy she and Ervin had kids later in their marriage.

"Justin and I are really solid. We were able to be married for nine years before we started having kids. It really makes a difference," Graham said. "For us, I was so glad that we were actually able to have the time to be able to spend with each other — so we got to know each other's everything — because you really still don't know each other's everything until you bring in kids."

August 14, 2023: Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin celebrate 13 years of marriage

<p>Ashley Graham Instagram</p>

Ashley Graham Instagram

While on vacation in Italy, Graham and Ervin celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary.

"13 going on forever, I love you Justin,” the model wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the couple on a boat.

December 31, 2023: Ashley Graham celebrates Justin Ervin's 38th birthday

<p>Ashley Graham/ Instagram</p>

Ashley Graham/ Instagram

In honor of her husband's birthday, Graham gave Ervin a sweet shout-out on Instagram.

"Another year of loving you," she wrote alongside two images of the couple.

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