Kristen Bell Proposed to Dax Shepard on Twitter after Waiting Years to Marry Because of Their Gay Friends

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are a famous Hollywood couple. Having been married for 11 years, they have been public about the journey their relationship has taken. They have also both been vulnerable about some of the mental health struggles they have experienced.

Kristen Bell was born in Michigan in 1980. She studied musical theater at NYU and made her first Broadway appearance while studying. Her breakout role was on “Veronica Mars” in 2004. She has since starred in films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Couple’s Retreat.”

Her husband, Dax Shepard, was also born in Michigan in 1975. He moved to California in 1995 and graduated with a degree in Anthropology. While at UCLA, he trained at The Groundlings Theater for improv and sketch comedy. After eight years of auditioning, his breakout role was on “Punk’d.”

HOW THEY MET

Bell and Shepard met in 2007 at a dinner party, they had recently been out of long-term relationships, and there was initially no spark whatsoever between them. Bell thought that he spoke too much and had no idea who he was at the time.

Two weeks later, they met for a second time and started flirting. Shepard thought she and her friends seemed a little too happy; he even thought they might have been in a cult but added that she slowly helped him see the world in a more positive light.

They started dating in 2007, but their relationship was riddled with explosive arguments. They would slam doors, and Shepard would quickly drive off during fights, but they both realized that this way of arguing was toxic.

Three months into their relationship, Shepard and Bell broke up after Shepard told her she was dating other people. Although she was shocked at the revelation, she felt respected by his decision to clarify that they weren’t in the same place. But, they got back together after a few days.

WHY MARRIAGE WAS OFF THE TABLE AT FIRST

Shepard made it clear early in the relationship that he didn’t believe in marriage. Bell clarified that he wasn’t against marriage itself, just the idea behind it. She said:

“He was saying, 'How I treat you will not be dependent on a piece of paper sitting in City Hall. Because I've already made a commitment, and I don't see a use in that piece of paper.”

But to Bell’s shock, he proposed in 2009 over the holidays. Shepard credited his change of heart to co-star Jason Bateman. Shepard explained that Bateman was the first to tell him to stop wasting time and propose. However, years after Shepard proposed, they hadn’t gotten around to marriage.

A TWITTER PROPOSAL & A WEDDING 6 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Six years into the relationship and four years after Shepard proposed, Kristen decided to turn the tables and propose to him over Twitter! Shepard said that he was the luckiest man on earth to marry Bell, but the wedding itself was pretty unique.

Shepard and Bell wed at a courthouse, and after the wedding, they received a wedding cake with the words “world’s worst wedding” scrawled on it. However, they weren’t offended; Shepard happily asked: "How many people can say they threw 'The World's Worst Wedding?'"

The wedding cost $140, including the gas to drive to and from the courthouse. Bell wore loose-fitting black pants with a short-sleeved top to match. Shepard looked slightly more formal with a black suit and a bow tie, but he also wore converse sneakers.

Instead of wearing a wedding band, Shepard tattooed a bell on his ring finger. He said, “I don’t like wearing jewelry, but I felt obliged to warn all the men that I’m taken.” he thought an object symbolizing her surname, as well as their children’s initials were more fitting.

Explaining why they waited so long to get married and why she proposed to him on Twitter, Bell said, “We’d waited to get married because half our friends are gay, and we didn’t think it was appropriate to have a wedding until they could, too.”

PROUD & PROTECTIVE PARENTS OF TWO

Shepard and Bell are proud parents to two daughters, Lincoln Bell Shepard and Delta Bell Shepard. Bell was terrified of the birthing process before her first daughter’s birth. After watching several birthing videos, she wishes she could be unconscious for the whole thing.

The couple is strict on protecting their children’s identities on social media, refusing to show their faces and standing up to paparazzi trying to take photos of them. They agreed that their children's faces were utterly off-limits with all they share about their lives.

When Bell first became a mother, she realized how vital her decisions were. "I tend to favor health and safety first because I think without that, there are just no possibilities for kids,” Bell said. As a working mother, she says that spending quality time with her children is how she indulges herself.

"I don’t wear makeup, nobody’s wearing shoes, we’re running around the house being carefree and having no responsibilities to the outside world," she said. Bell is an ambassador for the Global Moms Relay Campaign, which raises money and support for mothers and babies worldwide.

Both Shepard and Bell have been candid about some mental health challenges. Shepard, who has previously struggled with drugs, advocates for sobriety. Bell is also outspoken about the importance of mental health after dealing with anxiety and depression.