Before their flipping empire began and they welcomed a son, Tristan, into the world, Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa were two real estate moguls living separate lives in Southern California.

With a tough first marriage and very public divorce 3 years behind him, Tarek never thought he'd never find love again. Heather, who had navigated failed relationships before meeting Tarek, "never gave up on love." In a 2019 Instagram post, she detailed her meet-cute with Tarek, writing: "I always kept an open mind when it came to dating. I just knew my person was out there somewhere and one day we would be brought together."

July 2019: Heather and Tarek Meet

Heather and Tarek officially met on the 4th of July in 2019 when Heather hopped onto Tarek’s boat to say hi to a mutual friend. She immediately caught Tarek's eye, so he decided to give it a shot.

This photo is very special to me because this was the day Tarek [and I] met and the very first photo we took together," Heather wrote on Instagram. "Tarek turned around and introduced himself. And there you go. Our love story started."

In an interview with HGTV for a special called Tarek's Flip Side, Heather revealed she turned down Tarek’s first proposals.

"He asked me to go to Paris," she laughed. "I said no. Then he said, 'Well how about Vegas?' I said, 'No, I'm not going to spend the night with you.'"

"Then I said, 'Will you go on a date with me?'" Tarek said. "And she goes, 'Maybe.' She gave me one opening on one day for one hour and it wasn't even dinner."

"I said we can go to drinks and that's it," recounts Heather.

The duo had such a good time, they ended up bar hopping into the night. They even met up with one of Heather's friends. On the ride back home, Heather and Tarek FaceTimed.

A few dates later, the two solidified their relationship.

July 2020: Tarek Pulls Off a Surprise Proposal

For their one year anniversary, Tarek treated Heather to a weekend getaway at a resort on Catalina Island just off the coast of Southern California. Heather was shocked when Tarek surprised her with a romantic proposal on the beach.

"He kept everything a secret from me. I knew he had surprises throughout the weekend, but I thought he was just being extra romantic for our one year. Little did I know he had been planning to propose," Heather shared on Instagram. "I was confused for the first 15 seconds as I walked down the gorgeous candle and flower aisle wondering what the heck is going on. Then I thought OMG is he proposing??? No way!!!! But in my head I talked myself out of it thinking, well I bet it's earrings!!! I didn't want to get my hopes up."

October 2021: Tarek and Heather Get Married

Tarek and Heather officially tied the knot on October 23, 2021 at the Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel in Monteceito, California. They had 14 months to plan the wedding and shared the entire process from dress shopping to wine tasting on an HGTV special, Tarek & Heather: The Big I Do. The timeless, old Hollywood-inspired ceremony and reception was a celebration of both Tarek and Heather’s love and their new family of four.

"If you had asked me four years ago I would've told you I was never getting married again and honestly I didn’t even think I would find love," Tarek wrote on Instagram the night before their wedding. "Then one day Heather jumped onto my boat, looked at me, smiled and the rest is history. Thank god for that day. My life is so much better with you in it."

March 2023: The Flipping the El Moussas Premieres

On March 2, 2023 the couple took their relationship in front of the cameras with the premiere of The Flipping the El Moussas. The show highlights both their personal and professional triumphs. Fans follow Tarek and Heather's home renovation projects from start to finish. Heather, who has ample experience in luxury Los Angeles real estate (as seen on Netflix's Selling Sunset), had to learn the ins-and-outs of flipping houses from scratch.

Luckily, Tarek is a great teacher.

"I'm always learning and soaking in everything," Heather said. "This is my first time flipping homes and in the beginning, I was trying to spend a lot more money. Raise ceilings, take down beams that needed to hold the roof up. I learned there are certain things in flipping that you can’t do."

January 2023: Baby Boy El Moussa Enters the World

Heather was very open about her fertility struggles on social media. She shared her experience with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) — giving fans updates about the process (which she went through twice) and opening up about her emotions.

Then, she got pregnant naturally.

"I thought she was showing a Covid test," Tarek told People in 2023. "It was a pregnancy test."

The couple found out right after filming for The Flipping El Moussas began.

"Her belly really was the star of the show," Tarek told HGTV.

"When we first met, I didn't want to have kids," Heather said. "We decided we weren't going to have kids, and then I fell in love with Taylor and Brayden. I fell more in love with Tarek and then one day…"

Their son, Tristan, was born on January 21, 2023.

"The second that I saw our son come into the world, it was just a life changing experience," Tarek shared with HGTV. "It reminds you how precious and how valuable life really is."

Happily Ever After

During a long home renovation process, Tarek and Heather created their own dream home just one block from the ocean in Newport Beach, California.

"After countless days of us waking up at 5 a.m. to go house hunting to finding our perfect home and designing it, we couldn’t be happier. It's the perfect place for us and our family of five," Heather shared on Instagram.

Recently the duo also embarked on a new adventure with HGTV: The Flip Off, a six-episode competition show in which Tarek and Heather go head-to-head against Tarek's ex, Christina Haack to find, buy, renovate and flip a house for the biggest financial gain.

"[Tarek and I] really are just best friends and soulmates and it makes me so happy," said Heather.

You can follow Tarek and Heather on Instagram at @therealtarekelmoussa and at @theheatherraeelmoussa and catch up on Flipping the El Moussas and The Flip Off on Max.