A love story like no other! Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham are beating the reality TV odds.
Luyendyk Jr. and Burnham met while filming season 22 of The Bachelor, which aired in 2018. Though he initially picked Becca Kufrin to be his final rose recipient, he later broke off their engagement to explore his connection with the former technology salesperson.
Now, they are one of the couples from the popular franchise who are still going strong. The former race car driver proposed to Burnham during his season’s After the Final Rose special, and they tied the knot in 2019 at the Haiku Mill in Maui, Hawaii.
Their wedding was officiated by longtime Bachelor host Chris Harrison, who revealed he got “emotional” during the magical day. “The same thing is said over and over, and that is they’re perfect together, they fit together, they complement each other,” he said shortly after the ceremony to Us Weekly exclusively. “Pretty much everybody [is] saying the same thing in a different way.”
While raving about his love story with Burnham, Luyendyk Jr. explained how he knew she was The One. “I just kind of fell in love with her before I really knew who she was,” he told GQ in 2018. “I know that sounds kind of crazy, but I think there is that type of love out there where you just are blown away from the moment you meet somebody. That’s kind of how it was with her.”
The Bachelor Nation couple, who moved to Phoenix, Arizona, together before their winter nuptials, welcomed a daughter named Alessi Ren in May 2019. They have since explained how they have “transitioned well into being parents” to their little one.
“I always loved kids, but I wasn’t one of those people who was like, ‘I was born to be a mom,’” the Virginia native told Scottsdale Lifestyle magazine in July 2020. “But now that she’s here, I look back and feel like this is what I was meant to do — to be her mom.”
Meanwhile, the former Bachelorette contestant noted how “hard” parenting can initially be. “They just hand you your baby and they’re like, ‘Good luck,’” he told the publication at the time. “But I feel like we’ve really got it down now. It took a year, but we’re doing good! It’s the most fun chapter of my life.”
Luyendyk Jr. and Burnham announced in December 2020 that they are expecting twins. Sharing the milestone via Instagram, the Netherlands-born star wrote: “2 little miracles. Love them with all my heart already ❤️.”
From their brief breakup to starting their own family, scroll through for their romance timeline.
Credit: ABC/Lorenzo Bevilaqua
‘Bachelor’ Stars Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham’s Romance Timeline
A love story like no other! Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham are beating the reality TV odds.
Luyendyk Jr. and Burnham met while filming season 22 of The Bachelor, which aired in 2018. Though he initially picked Becca Kufrin to be his final rose recipient, he later broke off their engagement to explore his connection with the former technology salesperson.
Now, they are one of the couples from the popular franchise who are still going strong. The former race car driver proposed to Burnham during his season’s After the Final Rose special, and they tied the knot in 2019 at the Haiku Mill in Maui, Hawaii.
Their wedding was officiated by longtime Bachelor host Chris Harrison, who revealed he got “emotional” during the magical day. “The same thing is said over and over, and that is they’re perfect together, they fit together, they complement each other,” he said shortly after the ceremony to Us Weekly exclusively. “Pretty much everybody [is] saying the same thing in a different way.”
While raving about his love story with Burnham, Luyendyk Jr. explained how he knew she was The One. “I just kind of fell in love with her before I really knew who she was,” he told GQ in 2018. “I know that sounds kind of crazy, but I think there is that type of love out there where you just are blown away from the moment you meet somebody. That’s kind of how it was with her.”
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The Bachelor Nation couple, who moved to Phoenix, Arizona, together before their winter nuptials, welcomed a daughter named Alessi Ren in May 2019. They have since explained how they have “transitioned well into being parents” to their little one.
“I always loved kids, but I wasn’t one of those people who was like, ‘I was born to be a mom,’” the Virginia native told Scottsdale Lifestyle magazine in July 2020. “But now that she’s here, I look back and feel like this is what I was meant to do — to be her mom.”
Meanwhile, the former Bachelorette contestant noted how “hard” parenting can initially be. “They just hand you your baby and they’re like, ‘Good luck,’” he told the publication at the time. “But I feel like we’ve really got it down now. It took a year, but we’re doing good! It’s the most fun chapter of my life.”
Luyendyk Jr. and Burnham announced in December 2020 that they are expecting twins. Sharing the milestone via Instagram, the Netherlands-born star wrote: “2 little miracles. Love them with all my heart already ❤️.”
From their brief breakup to starting their own family, scroll through for their romance timeline.
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Credit: ABC/Paul Hebert
September 2017
Weeks after ABC announced Arie, who was the runner-up on Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette in 2012, was the next Bachelor, the former race-car driver started filming his season in September 2017. Lauren was one of four women named Lauren on season 22, and one of 29 girls competing for Arie’s heart.
Credit: Paul Hebert/ABC
November 2017
Lauren made it to the final two of Arie’s season, which meant he visited her family in her hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and the pair spent the night in the fantasy suite together. While the realtor told Lauren he loved her after a date in Peru, which filmed in November 2017, Arie sent Lauren home during the season finale, proposing to fellow contestant Becca Kufrin.
“I wanted it so bad for us, but there was something that was holding me back and I can’t go through with it … I gave it everything I had to see if it could work. I did fall in love with you,” Arie told Lauren on the episode, which aired in March 2018. “I didn’t know fully until this morning. I was in love with her, I was in love with you.”
Credit: Paul Hebert/ABC
January 2018
Less than two months into his engagement to Becca, Arie decided that he made a mistake and wanted to be with Lauren. After the reality TV personality spoke to Lauren on the phone in January 2018, he broke things off with Becca.
Credit: ABC/Paul Hebert
March 2018
After Arie and Becca’s unedited breakup aired on After the Final Rose in March 2018, the former Bachelorette contestant proposed to Lauren live on ABC.
“I made some bad decisions but the best decision was running back to you,” he said before he got down on one knee. “I truly believe are my soulmate. I’m ready to face this life with you and all that comes with it. I love you so much. I wanted to do this in front of everyone because I want to show you that I should have done this a long time ago.”
Credit: Courtesy Arie Luyendyk Jr./Twitter
March 2018
After getting engaged on live TV, Arie and Lauren headed to Europe together. While they vowed to stay off social media amid the backlash of Arie’s breakup with Becca, the lovebirds couldn’t help but gush about one another during their vacation.
Credit: ABC/Lorenzo Bevilaqua
May 2018
Arie and Lauren announced their wedding plans during a May 2018 appearance on The View. “We are very excited to tell you guys that we have booked a venue, and we are getting married in Hawaii on January 12, next year,” Lauren revealed at the time.
“It’s in Maui, it’s at Haiku Mill, which is this beautiful, old world feel, with a lot of vines and greenery,” Arie added, noting they opted not to televise their nuptials. “It’s not your typical, beach wedding. It’s so pretty.”
Credit: Nicole Hill Gerulat for Wayfair
October 2018
The duo showed off their Phoenix home exclusively to Us Weekly in October 2018. “Our house is great for entertaining because there are so many areas that people can hang out in,” Lauren, who moved to Arizona to be with Arie, told Us. “We have a sitting room with another sectional in it and then there’s the living room, the kitchen, the dining room and then there’s an outdoor patio area and so it’s just very … open and allows people to kind of hang out together.”
Credit: Jennifer Perkins
November 2018
Us broke the news in November 2018 that Arie and Lauren are expecting their first child together. “I kind of had a feeling that I might be pregnant. So my friend insisted on bringing a pregnancy test over,” Lauren told Us exclusively, noting that she made her fiancé read the results. “Arie came out with the test in his hand and tears in his eyes. He was like, ‘You’re pregnant!’”
Arie gushed: “Lauren took all of them and they were all positive. We weren’t trying, but we are so excited. It’s going to be a whole new chapter in our lives.”
Credit: Presley Ann/Getty Images
December 2018
The parents-to-be announced that they’ll reveal their baby’s gender during the premiere of Colton Underwood‘s season of The Bachelor on January 7. “I can’t wait to meet this little person that has already grabbed our hearts,” the real estate agent said during an Instagram Q&A.
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January 2019
Us broke the news that the couple are expecting a baby girl. “I think, to be honest, in the beginning, we were both hoping that we were having a girl,” Burnham told Us. Luyendyk added that he was “in shock” upon learning the news.
Credit: Matias Ezcurra – @nvmauimedia
January 2019
Luyendyk Jr. and Burnham gave Us an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at their pre-wedding festivities in Hawaii. The duo enjoyed a helicopter tour of the islands on January 8. The bride and groom later celebrated their upcoming nuptials with a rehearsal dinner that took place on a sunset cruise on January 11, one day before they said “I do.”
Credit: Matias Ezcurra – @nvmauimedia
January 2019
The couple tied the knot in a romantic wedding ceremony on Maui on January 12. The wedding was officiated by Bachelor host Chris Harrison and guests included Luyendyk’s close friends Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici. “Ever since we’ve gotten together, we wanted to fast-forward to this day,” the groom told Us. “It’s been a year. That’s kind of crazy ‘cause I remember a year ago we were doing ‘happy couples [weekend on The Bachelor]’ and talking about getting married and wanting to do that, even last year, so it’s awesome that the day is finally here.”
Credit: Courtesy of Arie Luyendyk/Instagram
May 2019
The reality stars welcomed their first child together on May 29. “We have a healthy, BEAUTIFUL baby girl 6lbs, 13oz 20cm long,” Luyendyk Jr. announced on his Instagram Story. “Mommy and baby are doing great, we are so incredibly happy.” Burnham documented her pregnancy — from the couple’s Bahamas babymoon to the baby’s breach position, which was corrected before she gave birth — on Instagram.
Credit: Courtesy of Lauren Burnham/Instagram
January 2020
The twosome celebrated their first wedding anniversary with a Bachelor-style date on January 12, 2020. “Tux and wedding dress on, rented a Lamborghini and had one incredible set up at a dinner overlooking the city,” Arie captioned a photo via Instagram. “My wife sure knows how to plan a date. Thank you love, I’ll never forget tonight.”
Lauren described the evening as a way to “relive” their wedding day.
“Happy first anniversary to my best friend, my love and my partner in everything,” she captioned a post via Instagram. “I love you. This has been the best year of my life and we are just getting started. To us!”
Credit: Shutterstock
May 2020
The couple revealed in a heartbreaking YouTube video that Lauren miscarried their second chid. “We were planning to share our journey through pregnancy with you, but unfortunately we didn’t get the happy story we had hoped for,” they said. “We decided to share this part of our journey with you, because well, we share everything with you! But also because we hope that by talking about this we can make other couples going through these times a little less lonely.”
Credit: Courtesy of Arie Luyendyk Jr./Instagram
November 2020
Luyendyk said in an Instagram video that he was self-isolating from his wife and toddler after testing positive for COVID-19. The retired racecar driver thanked his wife for her efforts to keep their family safe. “I’ve been on the other side of the house. Lauren has been really sweet,” he said on his Instagram Story on November 26. “She’s been keeping me fed. She just slides some food outside and then I go get it.”
Credit: Courtesy of Lauren Burnham/Instagram
December 2020
The couple announced that Burnham was pregnant, seven months after they opened up about their devastating miscarriage. “It’s hard to know what to say right now,” she captioned an Instagram video on December 19 that showed daughter Alessi wearing a T-shirt with the words Big Sister. “I’ve been crying on and off for the past 3 months…right now is no different. So so grateful.”
Credit: Courtesy of Arie Luyendyk/Instagram
December 2020
After revealing that Burnham was pregnant following a miscarriage, the duo announced that they were expecting twins. “2 little miracles. Love them with all my heart already ❤️,” Luyendyk Jr. captioned an Instagram photo of their babies’ sonograms, while Burnham shared the same pic and wrote, “We maaaay have left out one small detail 👶🏼 👶🏼.”
Credit: Courtesy of Lauren Burnham/Instagram
December 2020
The couple celebrated Christmas with their daughter, Alessi. Burnham shared pics of the trio struggling to take a photo, writing, “We tried.❤️ Merry Christmas everyone! Love you!!”
Credit: Courtesy of Lauren Burnham/Instagram
December 2020
The duo and their daughter, Alessi, bonded by scaling mountains together after Christmas.
Credit: Courtesy of Arie Luyendyk Jr./Instagram
January 2021
“This year has pulled so many people apart, but I only feel more connected and more in love with you,” the race car driver wrote via Instagram in January in celebration of the couple’s second wedding anniversary. “It’s funny if you think of where we were at a year ago, finally figuring out how to be new parents. Now a year later we have it all figured out (seemingly) but at the same time have no idea what’s coming haha. I love that we always tackle things head on and come out stronger for it, I can’t wait for what this next year holds for us. I’m so grateful we found each other and even more grateful to share in this incredible life we are creating together.”
Lauren showed off her pregnant belly while wearing her wedding dress for a celebratory dinner with her husband, sharing a photo of the night on her Instagram. “Love you more every day,” she captioned the snap.
Credit: Courtesy of Arie Luyendyk Jr./Instagram
March 2021
The lovebirds jetted off to Maui for a babymoon. They kayaked, swam, went whale watching and had a pizza night while ahead of welcoming their twins.
Credit: Courtesy Lauren Burnham/Instagram; Courtesy Arie Luyendyk Jr./Instagram
May 2021
The pair celebrated daughter Alessi turning 2 with a butterfly bash. “Happy early bday to my little butterfly princess,” Burnham captioned an Instagram slideshow with the toddler. “Last one as an only child so had to do it up.”
Credit: Courtesy of Lauren Burnham Luyendyk/Instagram
June 2021
Burnham gave birth to twins Lux and Senna on June 11. The new parents brought their son home four days later but had to leave their daughter in the ICU amid respiratory issues. Senna joined the group at home on June 19.
Credit: Courtesy of Arie Luyendyk/Instagram
August 2021
The former reality TV stars flew to Hawaii for their first official trip as a family of five. The getaway came four months after the couple told fans that they bought a second home in the tropical state.
Credit: Courtesy of Lauren Burnham/Instagram
August 2021
The couple let fans know how they were adjusting to becoming a family of five. “We now have started to figure it out,” Luyendyk Jr. said in a YouTube video, joking that their home devolves into “complete chaos” at bedtime.
He noted that he and Burnham chose to sleep in separate rooms in an attempt to give each other a little more rest. “It’s working pretty good,” he said.
Credit: Courtesy of Arie Luyendyk Jr/Instagram
September 2021
Shortly after welcoming their twins, the father of three revealed that he isn’t planning to have more kids. “No more babies,” he teased in an Instagram Story video as his wife wondered whether it was “vasectomy time.”
Credit: Courtesy of Arie Luyendyk Jr/Instagram
December 2021
“An incredible year with you @laurenluyendyk! We accomplished so much and it’s a year we’ll never forget. I love you! #3under3 #twins #laurie #lovewins,” the season 22 Bachelor captioned several photos with his wife in December 2021.
Credit: Courtesy of Arie Luyendyk Jr/Instagram
January 2022
Instead of celebrating their wedding anniversary, the couple were sick with COVID-19. “Not the 3rd anniversary we planned 🙁 Had the most epic trip set for today but Lauren and I are sick and I’m so so bummed,” he wrote via Instagram. “Have to keep smiling though and we’ll get through this!”
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February 2022
“All my valentines ❤️❤️❤️❤️,” Luyendyk Jr. captioned a snap of him and his family via Instagram.
Credit: Courtesy of Lauren Burnham Luyendyk/Instagram
August 2022
The married pair enjoyed the sunshine during a boat ride together. “Today was a good day ⚓️,” they captioned vacation pics.
Credit: Courtesy of Lauren Burnham Luyendyk/Instagram
September 2022
Burnham asked her Instagram followers for some advice on how to commemorate her other half’s 41st birthday. “What do you think we should do to celebrate?” she captioned a snapshot of her and Luyendyk Jr. smiling.