They’re married! When Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin got engaged in July, social media predictably erupted in a flurry of excitement and disbelief. But for the pair’s inner circle—namely, their parents—the news was not only welcome, but a long time coming.
It was revealed Friday, September 14, that the couple had secretly exchanged vows at the Manhattan borough marriage courthouse just one day before.
It should be noted that Baldwin’s dad, Stephen Baldwin, was the one who first let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, when he tweeted (and then deleted) his congratulations to the pair. Later, it was revealed by multiple outlets that Bieber had approached Stephen Baldwin in person several weeks prior to the engagement to request his blessing.
“Justin wanted to respect tradition,” a source told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “So a couple weeks ago, while him and Hailey were visiting New York, Justin set aside some time to talk with Stephen.”
The since-deleted tweet excitedly included a Bible verse from Ephesians that read: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
Bieber, 24, and his now father-in-law even recently spent some time hanging out together out in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while Baldwin, 21, was being photographed at New York Fashion Week.
Bieber’s own parents, meanwhile, had excitedly celebrated the pair’s engagement as well, with his mother Pattie Mallette quoting Corinthians in a tweet celebrating the couple. “Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor,” she wrote. “Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong.”
And the day before the engagement news broke, Mallette similarly expressed her approval for the pair’s impending union with a tweet that simply read: “Love Love Love Love Love Love Love.”
Earlier this week, Baldwin’s aunt Hilaria Baldwin (wife of Alec Baldwin) shared her own thoughts on the couple with the overwhelming message being a positive one.
“You see these people in your life, and you say, ‘You are definitely meant to be,’” Hilaria told Us Weekly on September 12, adding: “We’re all so excited for them, and they came over this summer right before the engagement and, really, they’re so sweet. And they’ve known each other forever.”
Bieber and Hailey’s feelings for one another are no less intense. In the model’s own words, “Not sure what I did in life to deserve such happiness. But I am so utterly grateful to God for giving me such an incredible person to share my life with! No words could ever express my gratitude.”
Secure your ideal wedding vision by starting with The Knot’s Style Quiz, here.