Ciara Celebrates the 9th Anniversary of Her First Meeting Russell Wilson
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It seems like Ciara and Russell Wilson have been together forever, but they actually met in 2015, and were married only a year after they first connected. Together, the musical artist and Broncos star share three children: their daughter Sienna Princess, their son Win Harrison Wilson, and Ciara's son Future Zahir Wilburn from her former relationship with the rapper Future, whom Wilson treats as his own.
Here's their complete relationship timeline so far.
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March 2015
The couple met on March 26, 2015, while at a basketball game at the University of Wisconsin. BET reports that Wilson asked Ciara out for dinner, seeing if she could meet him after a business meeting, but she said it was too late. He changed his plans.
“I completely forgot about the 10:30 [P.M.] dinner,” he said. “Next thing I knew, it was 12:00 [A.M.], 12:30 [A.M.], and I was sold on you.”
April 2015
Only a month later, they made their first official appearance together at the White House, during an event for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie Abe.
June 2015
Things went well, and soon, they were walking the red carpet at the BET Awards.
July 2015
The couple made headlines when Wilson shared that they had decided to remain celibate until marriage.
“I told somebody that’s the girl I want to be with before I even met her,” he explained during an interview with San Diego's The Rock Church. “Before I met her, I was like, ‘I’m probably going to end up with Ciara.’”
He continued, “She was in the dressing room getting ready to go before she went on stage, and she was sitting there, and God spoke to me and said, ‘I need you to lead her.’ And I was like, ‘Really?’ And he was like, ‘No, I want you to lead her.’ So I told her, ‘What would you do if we took all of that extra stuff off the table and just did it Jesus's way?’”
He added, “I ain't going to lie to you all now. I need you all to pray for us. I know you've seen her on the screen. If there's a 10, she's a 15.”
July 2015
The couple made an appearance at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards at UCLA, which Wilson was hosting.
February 2016
Ciara told Cosmopolitan more about their celibacy decision, saying, “You get to hug and you get to have a nice good kiss, but you have to be careful not to go too far so you don't end up in the place you're trying to avoid being in. Strong, strong, strong, strong! Just the strongest resistance to temptation.”
In another interview that month with People, Ciara said, “I’m not gonna lie. I’m human, so it is not easy, especially when I look at him, and I think he is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen—that I’ve ever laid my eyes on, to be honest.”
They also attended the pre-GRAMMY Gala together and posed for this iconic photo.
March 2016
A year after meeting, Wilson proposed to Ciara while they were on a trip in the Seychelles with a 16-carat custom diamond ring, according to Us Weekly.
“She said Yes!!! Since Day 1 I knew you were the one. No Greater feeling... #TrueLove @Ciara,” he posted on Instagram on March 11, confirming their engagement.
July 2016
They were married a few months later on July 6 at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, England, surrounded by friends and family. She wore a Roberto Cavalli gown with custom embroidery, bell lace sleeves, and a laced-up bodice, while Wilson was in a Giorgio Armani suit, People reported at the time. Celebs at the event included Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Hudson, and La La Anthony.
“We are The Wilsons!” Ciara wrote over a photo from the day.
Ciara told People, “Our wedding was like a fairytale... We loved the countryside. We looked at a venue in the U.S., but we also looked abroad, and England just seemed magical and perfect.”
She added, “This is the happiest I have ever been.”
October 2016
That fall, the couple announced they were expecting. Ciara shared the news on her 31st birthday, writing on Instagram, “On this special Birthday I received an abundance of love from friends and family.. and I'm excited to Finally share one of the Greatest Gifts of All that God could give... 👶🏽🍼💃🏽☺️❤️”
February 2017
Wearing a floor-length red velvet gown from Jovani Signature to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in February 2017, Ciara's pregnancy was very visible, and she looked radiant.
April 2017
Their daughter Sienna was born on April 29, 2017.
“Dear Sienna Princess Wilson, No matter how big the wave, we will always be your calm in the storm. We Love You. Love, Mommy & Daddy,” Ciara wrote on Instagram.
February 2018
They shared the first photos of Sienna months later.
May 2018
Ciara told E! that since marriage and welcoming a new child, her home has “been full of so much life and love.”
“He's been such an incredible father since day one,” she said of Wilson's parenting skills. “He's so loving and very patient. He also likes to have fun—he's very spontaneous and we just have a good time as a family... He inspires me, he's so driven and very ambitious, and he's always working hard whether he's on the field or off the field.”
She added, “He's always trying to make an impact in any way that he can. It's really inspiring to watch and to have a partner that has that kind of ambition. I'm also a very ambitious person, I'm very driven...it really just flows.”
July 2018
Two years after their wedding, the couple went on an official honeymoon in Botswana, Africa.
“I could wake up like this every morning,” the singer wrote over a safari video.
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February 2019
Wilson joked on Twitter with a view of Sienna and Ciara, writing, “When I’m over here tryin’ to make baby number 3 & baby number 2 stoppin’ it!”
April 2019
In April 2019, Wilson signed a $140 million contract, which made him the highest paid player in the NFL at the time.
“I watch you put everything on the line every Sunday in pure amazement,” Ciara wrote to her husband's accomplishment on Instagram. “Your dedication, consistency, and commitment to the game never wavers. You’re always the first person in, and the last person out. You’re 1 of 1. The hardest working man I know! So proud of you baby! Giving God All the praise. #GoHawks.”
Shortly after, the couple launched Why Not You productions to develop both scripted and unscripted TV and movie projects.
“While we work in different fields in our day-to-day, we are excited to come together to collaborate and create stories that we hope will touch people’s lives,” they said in a joint statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We are both storytellers at heart and we want to be able to share stories that uplift people and inspire others to create positive change. That’s ultimately what we want this company to represent.”
May 2019
While promoting her new album Beauty Marks on The View, Ciara shared more about her relationship.
“When you allow yourself to be vulnerable, you become your strongest,” she said. “When I met the love of my life it was not only loving me, it was to love my son.”
Later that month, she told Access Hollywood, “You know my husband’s pretty awesome and you know it’s been an incredible journey...Time goes by so fast and we’ve been having the time of our lives. We call it organized chaos because obviously with him doing football and me doing music, the worlds are both moving fast and kinda like in two different directions, but sometimes parallel at the same time.”
January 2020
In January 2020, Ciara announced she and Wilson were expecting again.
“Number 3,” she captioned a shot of herself in a bathing suit featuring a baby bump.
July 2020
On July 23, their son Win Harrison was born.
“Happy Birthday WIN!!! Mommy & Daddy Love You!” Wilson wrote on Instagram.
Ciara also shared a video of herself with the new arrival.
September 2021
Ciara honored her husband at the 2021 Met Gala by wearing his jersey number in Seahawks green on a gown by Dundas while wearing his Super Bowl ring from Super Bowl XLVIII and carriying a football clutch covered in crystals
March 2022
The couple released a children's book together titled Why Not You?, encouraging kids to dream big. It is an extension of their shared Why Not You Foundation.
September 2022
Ciara told People that young Future loves football, and Wilson has been helping him train.
“He's all about the details. He's all about the technique,” she said. “He's firm with love though...He's all about coming back with love and so it's beautiful.”
October 2022
Ciara brought Future and Sienna to watch Wilson play for the Denver Broncos in Las Vegas, Nevada.
January 2023
At the end of a difficult season with the Broncos, Ciara wrote her husband a loving message of support on Instagram.
“This season has been a roller coaster ride like no other… I've watched you endure so much and keep your head up high through it all! Your faith, belief, and confidence never wavered!” she wrote. “What I do know is a Winner is someone that gets back up when they're knocked down, someone who doesn't stop believing. Someone who embraces adversity and stays neutral through it all. Someone who can't be influenced by the words or opinions of others. Someone who loves loving others, serving others, and is always there for his family. All of that you are!”
July 2023
Ciara announced she was pregnant with her and Wilson's third child together and her fourth overall. She wrote on Instagram, “‘You look at me like that again, we make another kid… You my heart I’m your rib’ ”
A source told People that Ciara and Wilson were looking to keep expanding their family. “She loves being a mother so this is what she loves doing,” the source said. “This is what she has always wanted, and Russ too. They've always wanted a lot of kids.”
October 2023
Ciara made an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast in October, and discussed her pregnancy and plans for the future with Wilson. First, she told host Alex Cooper about the early days of their courtship and keeping things private to start.
“It was the best thing for the both of us, we felt,” she said. “Because even though we were meeting as friends and all that stuff, my son was there and my dad was there.”
She added, “We were, like, talking and talking and talking and it was crazy. Everything that we talked about, like, we were aligned on...I knew that I'd never felt what I felt in that moment.”
Ciara also talked about Wilson as a dad.
“He's an amazing father,” she said. “Watching him with all of our kids—it is one of the sweetest things. It's one of the sexiest things, to be honest with you. I'm just saying, ladies, when a man jumps in and changes the diaper, and he's pulling up to teacher-parent conferences, it's like, ‘Ooh!’”
She added, “There's something about a man turning on that part of them, like, they're being a man for you but they're also being a man for your family. There's no better feeling than knowing that.”
Cooper joked about the pair planning baby number five, but Ciara quickly responded, “Don't get crazy now. Let's go one baby at a time.”
December 2023
Ciara gave birth to her third child with Wilson and her fourth overall. The couple introduced their second daughter on December 11. “Amora Princess Wilson
9lbs 1oz We Love You so much!” they wrote in a joint post.
January 2024
On Saturday, January 6, the proud parents shared video and photos of baby Amora enjoying her first official photo shoot on social media. The infant was a consummate professional, appearing snoozing and swaddled in brown cloth, then in a fuzzy white onesie with bear ears. She posed in a wicker basket and amongst some winter foliage and flowers.
The couple played Stevie Wonder's “My Cherie Amour” over the slideshow, writing in the caption, “My Cherie Amour. Amora!”
February 2024
On Feb. 24, 2024, Wilson and Ciara attended the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. The singer wore a body-hugging vinyl gown by Venus Prototype, with long sleeves, lifted shoulders, and a cutout across her bust. The skirt ruched around the waist, then fell behind her in a long train, opening in a thigh slit over one leg. She wore it with matching pointed-toe pumps and several large statement bangles on her wrists.
In an interview for I AM ATHLETE released on February 26, Wilson gave some insight on the moment he realized that he was ready to be a father, and it also just so happens to be when he met Ciara and his now stepson, Future Zahir.
“Right before I met [Ciara], I wrote out my five non-negotiables,” Wilson started, explaining that he was searching for a woman of faith, faithfulness, independence, “a woman that was going to love me the way my mom loved my dad on his deathbed, when he was at his lowest,” and “a woman who would tilt the room when she walks in.”
“And so I prayed about that … I wrote it out actually on a napkin at dinner, as we were sitting there eating a steak dinner,” he continued on. “And we prayed over it, and three days later I met C. When I walked in the room and saw, you know, little Future, who was 9 months at the time, and he crawls in my lap...it was like, ‘This is going to be my responsibility.’”
March 2024
On March 4, news broke that Wilson had been cut from the Denver Broncos, and the former quarterback took to Instagram to release a statement expressing his gratitude for the team.
“Over these last two years, you have welcoming my family and me with open arms and have embraced us as members of the Denver community,” he wrote. “This city will always hold a special place in my heart. Our family grew here, we made countless memories and friendships, and formed relationships that will last a lifetime.”
Wilson closed with, “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. God’s got me. I am excited for what’s next.”
Along with his letter, he included some pictures of him in uniform, as well as a family photo with a pregnant Ciara and their children on the field.
His wife shared her support in the comment section.
“One of One! My greatest inspiration! I love you #3 #Grateful!” she said.
On March 26, Ciara shared photos from her and Wilson’s celebration of their 9-year first meeting anniversary. She wrote, “3.26 the day that we met…9 years ago & forever one of the best days of my life. I love you so much @DangeRussWilson.”
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