Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin: ten years in the making

In 2009, a 14-year-old Justin Bieber was at the height of his career and had become a worldwide sensation. The singles from his debut album topped every chart and the whole world was introduced to one of the first YouTube stars that rose to fame thanks to social media (and in large part, thanks to would-be manager Scooter Braun).

Hailey was just 12 years old when she made a cameo appearance with her uncle Alec Baldwin on the show Saturday Night Live. Little did she know that in just ten years, she would go on to enjoy a successful modeling career and would one day become Mrs. Bieber. It was that same year that she met her future hubby, the Baby singer himself, Justin Bieber.

In 2011, Justin was a hugely successful celebrity, known and recognized the world over; he certainly had the Midas touch. One of the projects that inevitably turned to gold was the movie Never Say Never, an autobiographical film of the singer, and it was on the film premiere's red carpet that Hailey and Justin met again. They posed for the cameras together, although that same year, he would go on to confirm his relationship with Selena Gomez.

In 2014, Justin and Selena ended their relationship. That year, Hailey's modeling career took off as she worked in her first campaign with new best friend, Kendall Jenner. Kendall was a mutual friend of the pair, which drew them closer together. It was rumored at the time that Hailey and Justin had started dating, which they flatly denied.

Since then, Justin and Hailey's friendship grew and they would frequently meet up with their close group of friends. In fact, they celebrated New Year's together 2015 in the island of Anguilla in the Caribbean. It was only a matter of time before the rumors started to swirl.

In 2016, Justin released the song Sorry, which according to his composer Justin Tanter was a song dedicated to Selan Gomez; his album Purpose would go on to be a total success. In the meantime, Hailey was walking the catwalk for such designers like Tommy Hilfiger and she also graced the cover of important fashion magazines like Vogue and Marie Claire.

That year, the pair accepted that there was something brewing between them, but they still shied away from saying they were exclusive, according to statements the model made to E! News at the time. It seemed, though, that Justin declared what could happen in the future in an interview with GQ: "What would happen if Hailey turned out to be the girl that I marry?" The pressure exerted by the media and their own busy agendas seemed to get in the way of their relationship. They even stopped following each other on social media, which is the millennial way of ending a relationship of any kind.

Justin then started dating Lionel Richie's daughter (and Scott Disick's current gal), Sofia Richie.

Two years passed by without the pair seeing anything of each other. Hailey started dating Shawn Mendes at the beginning of 2018 and Justin broke off his relationship with Selena Gomez yet again. Everything indicated that Justin and Hailey had both moved on with their lives.

In May 2018, the paparazzi caught the pair together again. The model told the Time UK that both had overcome the obstacles within their relationship. And it seems that they finally realized they were more than just friends, because they were caught kissing on the streets of New York City. How romantic!

But the entire world was surprised when in July 2018 TMZ revealed the couple had gotten engaged in the Bahamas: “You are the love of my life, Hailey Baldwin, and I wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else," wrote Justin.

Without waiting any longer, Justin and Hailey went to a courthouse in NYC and got married through a civil ceremony in September. Hailey changed her name and Justin was proud of his scruffy look at the time. They were finally, officially married!

A year after their civil wedding, Hailey and Justin were married in a religious ceremony on August 30 in South Carolina. A month later, Justin posted the photos on his social media network, thus confirming that the ceremony had in fact taken place. Looking slightly older, more mature and seemingly more in love than ever, Justin stood next to his wife, making it clear to the world that this love story is one with a happy ending.