Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae El Moussa’s Romance Timeline (2024)

Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young) and Tarek El Moussa's whirlwind love story is too cute for words.The twosome first crossed paths on the 4th of July in 2019, and Tarek went on to confirm their relationship that August via Instagram.“I’ll be honest and say I never thought I would meet someone special in my life after the last three years. Then … out of the blue @heatherraeyoung walked into my life,” he captioned a photo of himself and Heather.Tarek acknowledged that he was previously married to Christina Hall (née Haack), with whom he shares daughter Taylor and son Brayden, from 2009 to 2018, adding, “In life, you can’t predict the future! I couldn’t predict [my] divorce! I couldn’t predict two cancers! I couldn’t predict my back injury! You just never know what tomorrow brings. I just want to let the world know I met someone special that makes me want to be a better man.”Heather and Tarek's relationship continued to progress relatively quickly. The couplemoved in together in early 2020 and got engaged later that year. They tied the knot in October 2021 and welcomed son Tristan 15 months later.Scroll down to see how Tarek and Heather's romance has flourished.

After meeting on the 4th of July, Tarek and Heather were spotted cozying up with one another on a boat in Redondo Beach, California.

Tarek confirmed their relationship via Instagram, writing: “It’s official!!!! After more than 3 years on my own, I’m so PROUD to say that this beautiful, sweet and talented young lady is my girlfriend! The first time I saw her smile, she ‘did that thing to my tummy’ and I knew right away I needed to get to know her...so I asked her out!! She said yes.”

Heather, meanwhile, told Us that she believed Tarek could be The One. “We are just really, really happy,” she explained. “He has all the qualities that I would want in someone.”

The duo spent Thanksgiving together in Europe.

Tarek posted a holiday photo of the couple in matching pajamas with his kids.

The pair kicked off the new year together with a trip with his kids to Mammoth Mountain in California. That same month, the twosome moved in together in West Hollywood. “It was so natural for us,” Heather told Us at the time, while Tarek said their new home is “a whole new world.”

During a round of Us’ “Newly Dating Game,” the duo revealed that they first dropped the L bomb on their fifth day of knowing each other.

Tarek confirmed that the two reality stars moved into a new home together. “My [old] home was a very special home to me. It was the first house that the kids and I called ‘home’ after the split,” he wrote on Instagram. “This move brings a lot of emotions because it reminds me just how much life can change in a few years.”

Heather honored her romance with Tarek on their one-year anniversary. “From the first day I met you, to our first date and our second date when we decided to commit 100% before we barely even knew each other,” she wrote via Instagram. “But we knew what we had was special. We had that butterflies in your tummy, can’t eat, can’t stop smiling soul mate love. ❤️ ”

The couple announced their engagement via Instagram after one year of dating.

Tarek paid tribute to his fiancée as he celebrated his birthday on August 21. "What can I say🤷‍♂️. It’s my 39th birthday, my kids are happy and healthy, and I’m in love with @heatherraeyoung," he captioned a photo with Heather and his children at son Brayden's 5th birthday celebration the day before. "I got a second chance at life. I’m not gonna waste it. Love you all."

Heather shared her own tribute to Tarek on Instagram, writing, "I am thankful for the universe for bringing us together. We truly are soulmates & best friends. Tarek you are the most loyal, honest, loving person I have ever met. Without you my love I’d be a lost person, you give me strength, motivation & confidence. I can’t imagine my life without you. I can’t wait to grow old together, kiss you you everyday and conquer this world as a team. I am in love with you Mr. El Moussa! You and me forever! future Mrs. El Moussa I can’t wait to be your wifey."

Tarek wished his “caring, adorable, incredible, beautiful, drop dead gorgeous” fiancé a happy birthday on September 16. “What can I say about this girl! She’s my best friend in the world and I wake up every day feeling like the luckiest man alive,” he captioned an Instagram tribute to Heather on her 33rd birthday.

He continued: “We started living together weeks after meeting. No one knew what to expect but she has completely changed our lives. My kids are obsessed with her and for good reason. She takes amazing care of them and shows them so much love.”

Tarek noted that the first half of their romance involved traveling the world, while the second half has seen them cooped up at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. “I can’t wait for all of our new and exciting adventures that are coming in the future... especially our honeymoon!!!” Tarek added. “We love you so much and we can’t wait to make it official!!!...Mrs. El Moussa❤️ Thank you for being the person you are. I love you to the moon and back.”

While reflecting on the day he met his soon-to-be wife, the HGTV personality admitted his first impression wasn't the best. When the pair were introduced in July 2019, Tarek had already tried to shoot his shot with Heather over Instagram while she was living overseas with her ex-boyfriend. "She was like, 'You already asked me out,'" he joked on the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast in December 2020. "So I looked back [at my DMs] and asked, 'So, do you still have that boyfriend?' and she's like, 'Nope.'"

Heather, meanwhile, admitted she was "excited" to change her name after tying the knot. "I'm going to be Heather Rae El Moussa. I'm going to drop my last name," Heather explained on the podcast. "It might just be Heather El Moussa. We don't know yet."

“It’s that time again!! Matching jammies 🎅🏻,” Heather captioned a festive snap with her then-fiancé and his two children in December 2020. “Thank you to my fiancé @therealtarekelmoussa for being a bad ass & wearing whatever I tell him to. 😂😂😂😂 because we got the cutest pic with the cutest kids ❤️❤️❤️ This is our Christmas card!! Happy holidays to you! Xo.”

Tarek reflected on their whirlwind romance on January 23, sharing a photo with Heather as they celebrated their 18-month anniversary in NYC. "It's incredible to think how much life can change in a short period of time," he wrote. "I came home with @heatherraeyoung after 4 days of dating, she moved in, and we never looked back. She has exponentially improved the lives of everyone in my family. Everyone said I was crazy but here we are engaged almost two years later. She's our rock, our best friend, and my hunny bunny. We love you to the moon and back. Can't wait to take more photos like this in fun places like New York City! I can't wait to continue to build this life with you. You make me a better man :)"

Heather got "Yes sir, Mr. El Moussa" tattooed on her hip in February 2021 ahead of Valentine's Day. "I love you handsome! Best Friends Forever," she captioned an Instagram photo debuting the dainty ink.

Tarek gushed about his fiancée and her work ethic via Instagram on February 20, revealing that it was something that was important to him going into their relationship.

"Always on the road, always working: fun fact about me is that no matter where we are, my mind is almost always on business or I'm almost always working on my laptop or phone. A couple posts ago, I told you that family is my biggest motivator which is why my work ethic is the way it is but let me just say how nice it is to have someone by my side who encourages this side of me and is right there with me, working just as hard as I am," he captioned a snap of him kissing the real estate mogul on the cheek.

Tarek continued, "My love, @heatherraeyoung, is as smart and driven as she is beautiful and kind and I'm so lucky. We complement each other, we push each other, and it makes me smile just thinking about it."

That same day, Heather revealed via her Instagram Story that she and her beau were shopping for land in California where she grew up.

"We're looking at properties to buy land and build something," she said as she panned the camera around a wooded piece of property. "There's my honey and my dad. The kiddos are back there."

"Love of my life,” Tarek captioned Instagram footage from the couple's engagement party. “Last night was perfect. You could say I’m ready to #flipherlastname.”

“Marrying my man SO SOON!! It’s all happening and what’s crazy is that I’m actually calm and relaxed about it. Tarek and I are on the same page with everything we want and everything else we’ve left up to our amazing wedding planners. 🙌🏻,” Heather wrote via Instagram. “We’re just excited to spend the rest of our lives together and that’s really what we want the whole day to be celebrating.”

The soon-to-be-married couple celebrated their upcoming nuptials with a joint bachelor and bachelorette party in Palm Desert, California. The festivities included multiple pool days (one ‘80s themed), a nice dinner and spa treatments. “I'm so excited. We're doing all of our fun activities right now,” Heather exclusively told Us of the couple’s plans. “We thought, like, Vegas would have been really chaotic and traveling somewhere would have been super chaotic. So, we thought being more local [in the Palm Springs area was best].”

The two tied the knot in an outdoor wedding ceremony on October 23 in Santa Barbara, California.

The newlyweds went to the Maldives to have some beachside bonding time after the big day. "Feeling so grateful to be here with my husband and just feeling so at peace. To be with a man who protects me and makes me feel safe and so loved is all I’ve ever dreamed of," Heather shared via Instagram. "I wake up every morning here and at home and I look over at the man that I’ve been manifesting my whole life. Taking in every moment and not taking anything for granted."

The duo celebrated their first Christmas as spouses with Tarek's children. "Merry Christmas from The El Moussa fam!" he wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of the group posing in front of their tree. "Gifts are great but what I love about Christmas is the family aspect. Most of the stores in town are shut down, the city slows down for a second, and we get to spend the day with our loved ones. Hope you’re all doing the same and hope you all have a great Christmas."

Heather praised her spouse for supporting her through her IVF journey. "He's the best husband. I don't think I could do it without him and I think that's so important for women that are going through this, to have someone — if it's not a boyfriend or a husband or a partner — but someone in their lives to turn to," Heather told Entertainment Tonight at the time. "Because you're going though a lot of emotions, the hormones affect you and you need to be able to talk to someone."

The pair got matching tattoos of their wedding date on their respective arms. Tarek also inked his arm with his kids’ birthdays, noting they left “room for our future children.” On their hands, the couple got each other’s initials.

The two smooched while on the red carpet at the MTV Movie & TV Awards Unscripted in Los Angeles. "Originally, we did not plan on having children together," Heather exclusively told Usahead of the awards show. "He’s so devoted to them, so devoted to me, and I couldn’t imagine not having a baby with him."

Tarek chimed in, telling Us, "We're working on it, though!"

"If you asked me a few years ago if I thought I was going to meet another woman to be a part of mine and the kids lives, I'd say no but who knew I was going to find my best friend, my confidant, my soulmate 😍," Tarek wrote via Instagram alongside footage of his life with Heather. "I believe everyone has a soulmate that they can spend the rest of their life together. I'm lucky to have found mine, the woman of my dreams, the perfect step-mom to my kids, and of course the sweetest mom to our bugsy, ❤️👨‍👩‍👧‍👦.”

“Surprise!!! Baby El Moussa coming early 2023!!” the couple announced via social media, sharing photos of Heather’s growing baby bump. Later that month, the pair announced they were expecting a baby boy.

Heather shared a "first glimpse" of the couple's baby after learning they were expecting a little boy.

”I love ultrasounds because I get to see him and hear his heartbeat. As a new mom-to-be these things give me flutters in the best way but it’s also nerve racking because you want to make sure your baby is healthy and in the best condition possible. Overall, the ultrasound went great and getting a little peek at our boy made my week," she wrote alongside ultrasound photos she shared via Instagram.

The family celebrated Taylor's 12th birthday with a night out at a waterfront restaurant.

"Dedicating this post to my wife who is an absolute rockstar!! She manages to make every Christmas better than the last — even while being in her third trimester ❤️," Tarek wrote via Instagram. "She makes sure our home FEELS like the holidays:) and sets up elves around the house for the kids, dresses us all up in Christmas pjs for family photos, laughs through the chaos, and makes sure to get everyone gifts that make them feel special."

Tarek added: "For a while there I had some lonely holidays and I’m never going back! I don’t know how she does it, but I feel so lucky. 🙏."

The couple announced the arrival of their first child together. "Becoming a father for the third time is just as exciting as it was the first time. Our baby boy is doing amazing and Heather was a rockstar during labor," Tarek exclusively gushed toUs. "I don't think I've ever seen Tay and Bray as happy as they were when they met their little brother."

After welcoming their newborn son, the twosome exclusively revealed to Us their little one’s name.

“Tristan Jay El Moussa,” Heather gushed, adding in the sentimental inspiration for the moniker. “Tarek was supposed to be named Tristan, and his parents ended up naming him Tarek. And then my dad’s middle name is Jay. So it’s four generations of the middle name Jay.”

Heather celebrated Tarek’s 42nd birthday with a loving tribute shared via Instagram. “Happy birthday to you, my darling love,” she wrote. “If only people could know the man that I have known for over 4 1/2 years … not the BS out there. You are loyal above anything, you have a passion for life, the biggest heart, giving, you wake up every single day to work your ass off to protect our family & work hard for us. You put others before yourself and genuinely want to change and motivate people’s lives. I love seeing you as a dad & raising kids with you is such a beautiful thing. Thank you for making me a step mama & now mamma to our beautiful son. They adore you. We all do.”

"Happy wedding anniversary my sweet love ❤️ I can’t believe it’s been 2 years of marriage & going on 5 years together," Heather captioned an Instagram post with several wedding photos. "When I made that commitment, I knew in my heart that I was making the choice to live the rest of my life with my best friend. We have that love that makes you want to be better for one another. You have stayed true to the vows that you said to me two years ago: you have loved me for all that I am, you have protected my heart and put our family first- always- and you have shown me that I picked the right man. You are an incredible dad to our baby Tristan and Tay & Bray and nothing makes me happier than the family and life that we have built together. I said it on our wedding day and I’ll say it forever: Life without you would be unimaginable. Happy anniversary bear 🐻 @therealtarekelmoussa, I love you more than words. Thank you for your loyalty. Me & you. 🤍🤍."