Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young: A Timeline of Their Relationship

Finding The One! Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young’s whirlwind love story is too cute for words.

The twosome first crossed paths on the 4th of July in 2019 when they were boating with mutual friends in Newport Beach, California. Later that month, El Moussa and Young were seen getting cozy on a boat in Redondo Beach, California.

The Flip or Flop star went on to confirm their relationship that August via Instagram. At the time, he shared a photo of the duo alongside a sweet message about how he was able to find happiness in love.

“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 explained. “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 😎 .”

El Moussa continued, “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.”

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Their relationship continued to progress relatively quickly. Later that August, Young revealed exclusively to Us Weekly that she believed El Moussa could be The One.

“We are just really, really happy,” she told Us at the time. “He has all the qualities that I would want in someone. I think we just need to spend more time together before we can make that decision.”

The pair then spent the holidays together and moved in together in early 2020. After celebrating their one-year anniversary, El Moussa asked the Selling Sunset star to marry him. “The Future Mrs. Tarek El Moussa!!!!” the real estate agent wrote via Instagram, sharing a photo from the moment he proposed.

On Young’s “Flashbacks With Jessica Hall and Heather Young” podcast, she revealed that the engagement wasn’t a total shock. “I knew it was gonna come eventually because we talked about marriage,” she shared. “We looked at rings like three months in. Nothing serious, but we went and looked.”

El Moussa was previously married to Christina Anstead from 2009 to 2018. Together, they share daughter Taylor and son Brayden.

Scroll down to see how El Moussa and Young’s romance has flourished.

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

El Moussa 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.”

The HGTV personality revealed that Young had met his two children.

Young told Us that she believed El Moussa 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.

El Moussa 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.

The twosome moved in together in West Hollywood. “It was so natural for us,” Young told Us at the time, while El Moussa said their new home is “a whole new world.”

El Moussa confirmed that the pair filmed together for his show Flipping 101.

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.

El Moussa 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.”

Young revealed on E! News’ Coupled Up series that she “can’t wait to marry” El Moussa.

Young honored her romance with El Moussa 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. 

The pair celebrated their engagement with a trip to Cabo. El Moussa noted via Instagram that they were “hanging in a cabana trying to plan a wedding.”

El Moussa 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 Young 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.” The Selling Sunset star shared her own tribute to El Moussa 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.”

The Long Beach, California, native 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 Young 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.”

The reality star 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!!!” El Moussa 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.”

The HGTV star celebrated his daughter Taylor’s 10th birthday on September 23 while Young brought El Moussa’s son, Brayden, to his favorite restaurant. “You better swipe because it’s a double date night!! Kind of lol,” El Moussa captioned a series of photos via Instagram of the foursome in color-coordinated outfits. “Taylor and I are at dinner celebrating her 10th birthday. She loves daddy-daughter date night so it’s just us! At the same time, @heatherraeyoung is taking Bray out to his favorite restaurant!”

Three months after announcing her engagement, the Selling Sunset star revealed that she and her fiancé had crossed off a major box on their wedding planning list. “YES!!!!!! Legit just locked in a wedding date and location!!” Young wrote via Instagram alongside a photo from the duo’s engagement shoot. “Take some guesses below!!! Future Mr. and Mrs.”

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, El Moussa had already tried to shoot his shot with Young 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.'”

While discussing her wedding plans during a December 2020 episode of the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast, the realtor admitted she’s “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,” Young said. “It might just be Heather El Moussa. We don’t know yet.”

“It’s that time again!! Matching jammies 🎅🏻,” Young captioned a festive snap with her 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.”

The realtor shared her plans for the 2020 holidays, telling The New York Post’s Page Six in December that “it’s just going to be a quiet Christmas Eve and then the whole family’s coming over for Christmas Day. So that’ll be fun.” Young added that she is relying on her stepdad and El Moussa’s father to cook. “They told me I don’t have to stress out about anything. I don’t have to do anything,” she said. “I just have to be at my house and they’re going to handle everything.”

El Moussa reflected on their whirlwind romance on January 23, sharing a photo with Young 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 :)”

Young 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.

El Moussa 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.

El Moussa 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, Young 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,” El Moussa captioned Instagram footage from their engagement party. “Last night was perfect. You could say I’m ready to #flipherlastname.”

The reality stars celebrated one year of being engaged with Instagram posts. “One year ago today I made the best decision of my life by saying yes to spending forever with the most special man. I remember when he proposed… in that moment everything melted away and I was just staring at my forever person, fully in tears thinking how lucky I was that I got to spend the rest of my life with him,” Young wrote at the time next to a kissing pic. “Thank you to the man who has put a smile on my face every single day. You have shown me what true love and family are all about. I fall more and more in love with you as I watch how amazing of a dad you are with the babies, how hard you work, and how you put family and your loved ones first in your life.”

“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. 🙌🏻,” Young 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 two haven’t had kids together, but they are now dog parents. El Moussa and Young surprised the Flip or Flop star’s daughter Taylor, 10, and son Brayden, 5, with a black puppy named Bugz.

“Happy 40th to my sweet love @therealtarekelmoussa,” the Netflix star gushed in an Instagram Story on her fiancé’s milestone birthday. “I love you so much.”

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,” Rae Young 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].”

For the Selling Sunset star’s birthday in September, the Flipping 101 host shared a sweet tribute to his love alongside a selfie of the couple, weeks before their nuptials.

“It’s just crazy how time flies,” El Moussa captioned his post. “I feel like it was just yesterday I was announcing to the world I was with @heatherraeyoung and today marks us celebrating her third birthday together. Not 3 years old but 3 birthdays lol. I can’t believe our wedding is weeks away and I’m marrying my best friend in the world. I’ll say it again, she’s the best person I’ve ever met. She has turned me into a different person and brought me back to life. I’m healthier and happier than I’ve ever been in my adult life. … I wake up every day feeling like the luckiest guy in the world. Bunny I love you to the moon and back .”

“One step closer to becoming Mrs. El Moussa !!! 💍🤍👰🏼‍♀️🤵🏻,” Young captioned a video of the couple kissing outside the courthouse. “Got our marriage license today and it made us both emotional 🥺 now let’s get married already boy @therealtarekelmoussa !!! #flippingherlastname ❤️.”

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,” Young 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 honeymoon was just as luxurious as the wedding. The two went to Dubai after the Maldives. “It’s just insane how beautiful and different each place is and there’s so much to see,” the HGTV star wrote. “We’ve been so blessed to have the most amazing honeymoon but I’m not gonna lie we’re missing the babies and our families so much so it’s time to head home but to everyone who needed a sign to travel: this is it. ❤️”

El Moussa made his first appearance on TV with his love when Selling Sunset season 4 hit Netflix.

One month after tying the knot,  El Moussa and Young are starting new real estate adventures in the San Bernardino mountains in California. They bought a cabin next door to Heather’s parents, but it’s just a temporary place. The newlyweds also bought the lot next to it, where they will build her perfect mountain home from the ground up.

“It’s so special to me to have a home in the mountains right next to where I grew up, literally next door to where my parents still live,” she shared via Instagram. “Tarek and I love coming up here and visiting my parents with the kids, it just feels like home so we bought the coziest cabin to stay in and we also bought the lot next door to build our own mountain house that we’re designing from scratch!”

The duo celebrated their first Christmas as spouses with El Moussa’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.”

Following the Netflix personality’s wedding to the Flipping 101 star, she has been vocal about her fertility and egg-freezing journey, opening up about her experience via TikTok.

“I just did my ultrasound and she checked to see how many follicles I have,” Heather explained in a December 28 TikTok video. “I have six on one side and then, on the other side, I have a cyst, which is fine, they just monitor it but she couldn’t find any follicles on that side. So, if we decide to move forward, we will start the process next week to get me ready for the egg freezing in January. Last time I did this, I got six healthy eggs … on ice right now.”

The real estate agent 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.”

“Next up … passport pic!” Young wrote via her Instagram Story, chronicling her quest to change her last name after tying the knot. “My last step to officially be an El Moussa.”

The pair got matching tattoos of their wedding date on their respective arms. El Moussa also inked his arm with his kids’ birthdays, noting they left “room for our future children.” On their hands, El Moussa and Young 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 Us Weekly ahead 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 😍,” El Moussa wrote via Instagram alongside footage of his life with the Netflix star. “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, ❤️👨‍👩‍👧‍👦.”

Tarek celebrated the third anniversary of their first meeting by gushing over his wife. “You know those moments in life that change everything? 3 years ago today I had one of those moments,” he wrote via Instagram. “I met @heatherraeyoung while I was out boating — if you haven’t heard the story, it’s a good one 🤣 but I remember knowing instantly that I had met the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with … a little insane right!? But when you know you know 🤷🏻‍♂️ The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite days: boating, summer, BBQ’s, friends and family but now it’s even more special to me. So happy first-day-I-met-you @heatherraeyoung and happy fourth of July to everyone else.”

“Surprise!!! Baby El Moussa coming early 2023!!” the couple announced via social media, sharing photos of Heather’s growing baby bump.

The pair announced they were expecting a baby boy. 

Heather shared a “first glimpse” of the couple’s baby after learning they’re 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,” the reality TV personality captioned ultrasound photos she shared via Instagram.

“When everyday is bring your wife to work day>>> 🙌,” the HGTV personality wrote alongside a PDA pic shared via Instagram. “In awe of how amazing Heather has been doing throughout her pregnancy- still coming to work, still working out, and still being an incredible step mom to Tay and Bray!”

He went on to prompt fans to ask “specific questions” about the couple’s pregnancy journey, revealing the expectant mom’s biggest cravings and playing coy about her due date. “I can’t even get her to cheat with vegan ice cream! I want to gain pregnancy weight too 😂😂😂,” he joked in one reply.

After a Twitter troll claimed Heather’s marriage had become her “entire personality,” the then-expectant star clapped back. “No girl, It’s called true love,” she tweeted at the time. “That most people never get to experience. Lucky enough I found one of the most incredible men out there.”

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

The couple celebrated their first home collaboration via Instagram, informing their fans of open house viewings for the property. “This one of the first ever custom Tarek and Heather designed homes- We spent months perfecting this home and it’s a must see!” Tarek captioned a carousel of photos showing off the interior and exterior.

“Happy Thanksgiving from The El Moussa family 🙏🤍,” the then-expectant star captioned an Instagram montage of sweet footage with her husband. “This year, I’m in disbelief at how much I have to be thankful for- I feel so lucky to be celebrating this Thanksgiving with a growing boy. We will be holding him so soon, It’s surreal. Feeling so grateful for our health, our growing family, our close friends, and our future. Words don’t do it justice and thankful is genuinely an understatement. This year is the best year yet and I’m thankful for YOU for being apart of it all. I hope you have a beautiful day🙏❤️.”

“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 ❤️,” the HGTV star 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. 🙏.”