Celine Dion is fondly looking back on her marriage to René Angélil, and you best believe that her heart still does go on when she thinks about it.
The Canadian songstress, 57, who has kept a lower profile in recent years since being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, took to social media to commemorate 31 years since she and René tied the knot at Montreal's Notre-Dame Basilica.
© ShutterstockCeline shared a photo from the magical day itself, in which she and her then-husband place their hands on each other's, with their wedding rings in full view on a cushion embroidered with their initials. She lovingly penned beside it: "And it's still a yes for me…Happy Anniversary Mon Amour…"
The pair first met in the early 1980s, when Celine was just a preteen trying to break into the music industry, and René, then in his late 30s, received a tape of hers. He realized her talent early on and decided to sign on as her manager by the time she was a teenager, taking her (and her mother) on tour and even mortgaging his house to produce her debut album, 1981's La voix du bon Dieu.
Under René's tutelage, Celine established herself as a teen star in Canada and France, but shot to worldwide fame in 1988 when she won the Eurovision Song Contest representing Switzerland. That same night, when she was 20 and he was 46, they went out on their first date.
Despite strong initial opposition from her mother Thérèse, due to the 26-year age gap between them, their romance flourished. Just six years later, in 1994, they tied the knot in lavish fashion, with their wedding ceremony (René's third) even broadcast on TV.
In January 2001, René and Celine welcomed their first child, their son René-Charles Angélil (now 24). And in October 2010, they welcomed their twin boys Eddy and Nelson. Despite the twins arriving early and being in a neonatal intensive care unit for several days after their birth, they eventually returned home with their parents completely healthy.
At the time, the "Falling Into You" hitmaker spoke exclusively with HELLO! about how she and René are adjusting to becoming parents-of-three, and it's clear the family was on cloud nine. "They're so cute, it's incredible," she told us after their births. "When we look at them we can't believe it, and to have them here at home – it's all we could wish for."
© Getty ImagesThe couple also spoke about the decision to name their sons Eddy and Nelson, with René explaining: "The idea is to have our sons be inspired by somebody that has the same name," with the inspirations being songwriter Eddy Marnay (who wrote on Celine's first five albums), and South African activist and former President Nelson Mandela.
© Getty ImagesIn January 2016, after a decades-long battle with throat cancer (which he was first diagnosed with in 1999), René passed away, just days before what would've been his 74th birthday. Celine has spoken fondly of her memories of him since, and she and her sons have consistently honored his legacy.
