Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are now one of Hollywood’s most beloved and enduring couples, but their relationship wasn’t always in the spotlight. Long before their red carpet appearances and joint projects, the pair's chemistry began off-screen - built on a quirky sense of humor, honesty, and a love of keeping things real. Over the years, their down-to-earth approach to marriage has made them fan favorites, offering a refreshingly candid take on love in Hollywood. Here’s a look back at their romantic timeline.
First meeting
Kristin and Dax first met at a dinner party, but the Frozen star admitted she didn’t know who he was at the time. She had just come out of a long-term relationship, as had Dax.
© WireImage"We were sitting at a table," she told Today. "The only thing I remember is that he talked so much. And then I didn’t know who he was. I’m like, 'Is that one of the guys from Jackass or something?' … And then we left. There were no sparks whatsoever."
Game on
A couple of weeks later, they reconnected at a hockey game, hit it off, and began dating shortly after. The next day, Dax got Kristin’s number from Shauna Robertson, whose dinner party they had met at. Kristin recalled his text said: "I violated your privacy and got your number from Shauna. How do you feel about that?"
© Photo: Getty Images"I was, like, okay, starting it off with a really good joke that makes me feel, like, butterflies. I fell in love with him way before he fell in love with me," Kristin shared in an interview with Today.
Quick break
Their relationship hit the skids later in 2007 when they broke up very briefly for a few days. In an interview with POPSUGAR, Kirsten recalled that Dax got cold feet and wanted to date other people. But it didn’t last, with the Punk'd star calling her to say he had changed his mind.
© Kevin Mazur"He called me and he was like, 'I don’t know what I was thinking. I was dating someone else but they’re just not as interesting as you, and I don’t know what I’m doing,' and he came back, she said. "But I still always remind him of when he broke up with me."
She said yes!
© Getty Images
In 2009 the couple worked together on a movie called When in Rome. Kristin starred as Beth, a New Yorker on holiday in Rome, while Dax played the role of Gale, one of Beth's suitors. The romantic location clearly had the desired effect, with Dax taking the opportunity to pop the question, and the pair got engaged. They waited until the Grammys in 2010 to announce their engagement, appearing together on the red carpet at the Staples Center.
All in the family
On March 28, 2013, the couple welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Lincoln.
© WireImageAt the time, Kristin Tweeted: "Lincoln Bell Shepard is here. She has mom's beauty and dad's obsession with breasts. Hooray!!!"
Wedding bells
The couple finally said 'I do' in a very low-key celebration in 2013, four years after getting engaged. They had always maintained they wouldn't tie the knot until marriage equality was achieved in California. They also had a famously inexpensive wedding, with Dax telling The Knot: "We spent a hundred bucks at the courthouse. The last thing we wanted to do was take something and add stress - Who’s invited? What’s for dinner? - since we’d rather buy a family member a house."
© GettyKristen added: "The total was $147 and I believe that included the gas in the car and the playlist. He bought all of my favorite songs from high school to play in the car on the way there and those $1.99 single tracks, the total for the day was $147."
And baby makes four
The couple’s second daughter, Delta, arrived in December 2014. The pair keep their children's identities private online to protect them and often cover their faces in pictures with emojis on Instagram.
© Photo: InstagramKristen has also revealed that she is very open with her daughters - now aged 11 and nine. "I talk to my kids about drugs and the fact that their daddy is an addict and he's in recovery. I think [the word taboo] should be stricken from the dictionary," she told Real Simple.
In sickness and health
In 2020, Dax celebrated 16 years of sobriety, but in a heartbreaking turn of events, he revealed he relapsed on painkillers. The actor even admitted he was high as he rang in the sober milestone.
© InstagramWhile Kristen did not comment at the time, she did share an Instagram story from a fan who praised her husband's courage and character.
Going strong
In October 2025, the couple celebrated 12 years of marriage together, with Kristen sharing a tongue-in-cheek post on social media. The photo showed the pair in a tight embrace and was captioned: Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once said to me: "I would never kill you. A lot of men have killed their wives at a certain point. Even though I’m heavily incentivized to kill you, I never would."
© InstagramWhile some fans said the post was in poor taste, others said it was just typical of the couple’s self-deprecating humour.
