Donnie Wahlberg Renews Vows Every Year with Wife Who Asked Him to Go to Therapy before Saying 'I Do'

• Donnie Wahlberg's wife, Jenny McCarthy, believes that she has found her Prince Charming in Wahlberg and is grateful that he accepted her autistic son.
• McCarthy's son even considers Wahlberg his father and calls him Dad.
• While the couple's relationship seems perfect, McCarthy made Wahlberg see a therapist before she married him.

On August 31, Wahlberg and McCarthy each took to their Instagram profiles to wish each other a happy eighth wedding anniversary. Each year, the couple renews their vows to one another, and this year was no different.

Every year, Wahlberg tries to surprise his wife on their anniversary, and this year he surprised her with the vow renewal. The video they shared on their Instagram shows how well he pulled it off.

The couple can be seen walking into a room, dressed very casually. McCarthy then breaks out with a huge smile and throws her arms around Wahlberg in excitement. The display garnered many adoring comments from fans.

Although Wahlberg and McCarthy are now happily married and have successfully blended their families, there were some conditions that McCarthy put in place before she agreed to say, "I do."

The Couple Had a Whirlwind Romance

Wahlberg and McCarthy met for the first time on the set of "Watch What Happens Live" with Andy Cohen. Wahlberg revealed in an Instagram post that on the day they met, Cohen told Wahlberg that he should ask McCarthy out on a date.

He went on to say that even though Cohen gave him a nudge in the right direction, he didn't end up asking McCarthy out that day. However, their love story began a year later when the couple met again.

Wahlberg shared that they saw each other again one year after their first meeting on McCarthy's talk show. He finished the post by saying:

"And the rest, as they say, is history."

The photo Wahlberg paired with the caption was part of an Instagram trend at the time, the #firstphotochallenge. It shows Wahlberg and McCarthy standing backstage at "Watch What Happens Live," smiling at a camera.

"Us Weekly" confirmed that McCarthy and Wahlberg began dating in 2013 and were both divorced with children from their previous relationships. Wahlberg had two children, Xavier and Elijah, from his marriage to Kim Fey.

McCarthy was married to John Asher before meeting Wahlberg, and they share a son, Evan. McCarthy and Evan had been alone for some time because he was diagnosed with autism at age two, and McCarthy dedicated her life to helping him. Wahlberg changed all that, though.

A year after the couple began dating, they got engaged. "ABC News" confirmed the news after McCarthy shared it on "The View." McCarthy explained how Wahlberg had proposed to her and included her son.

She said she was sitting with Wahlberg and her son when they left the room. Evan came into the room holding a card that said "Will," then went and returned with another one saying "you" and a final one that said, "marry."

McCarthy admitted that she knew what was coming, and tears had already sprung to her eyes when Wahlberg returned to the room with Evan. Wahlberg was wearing a shirt inscribed with the word "me."

Although their romance might seem like it was something of a whirlwind, McCarthy ensured that she was not blinded by love. She did her best to keep her relationship with Wahlberg going strong, which meant taking some necessary measures.

McCarthy Made Wahlberg Take Care of His Mental Health

On "The Drew Barrymore Show," McCarthy shared some home truths about her life and past relationships with ex-partners. She also admitted to mistakes she did not want to make again in her relationship with Wahlberg.

McCarthy mentioned that her therapist had told her that she made excuses for the bad behavior of her ex-partners. The therapist then challenged her to go on blind dates and practice noticing red flags.

The next thing McCarthy said was that she found that a person told you who they were on a first date without having to say a word. She advised the audience to pay attention on a first date to authenticate who the person was.

She also said that she had found her "Prince Charming" in Wahlberg, and he was worth the wait. However, she admitted:

"I paid my dues, and then I found my Prince Charming. And, you know, even Prince Charming and the fairytale doesn't come without work … I thought I'm going to ask him even before we have our first fight if we can go to therapy together."

McCarthy said she had done this because she did not want to mess up her relationship with her husband. She believes it was a great idea as the therapist gave them the tools to understand one another.

The Couple Have Been Happily Married for Eight Years

Wahlberg and McCarthy have been married for eight years and are still going strong, and McCarthy loves that Wahlberg treats Evan like his own child. Evan even played an essential role in their wedding.

Wahlberg and McCarthy married on August 31, 2014, in a ceremony held in St. Charles, Illinois. They said, "I do" in front of 90 guests in a 20-minute ceremony, as "Us Weekly" reported. The altar was decorated with red roses and white candles.

McCarthy's son had an essential role in their nuptials but couldn't do so until he was smartly dressed, which Wahlberg helped him with. Once in his suit, Evan proudly walked his mother down the aisle.

McCarthy shared her thoughts about Wahlberg's relationship with Evan on "LIVE With Kelly and Ryan," where she said she didn't know if anybody would want to be with her as she and Evan came as a package deal.

She shared that she was so grateful that her husband had opened his heart to her son and that her son had reciprocated that

. She then said that she knew

was a good man because he had taken on a single mother and a child with special needs.