Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are a dynamic duo on and off screen.
The designer couple is best known for starring in the hit HGTV series Design by Nate & Jeremiah and Nate and Jeremiah’s house project and have given many insights into their love story over the years.
After tying the knot in 2014 at the New York Public Library, the couple have since had two children together, a daughter named Poppy and a son named Oskar.
“We’re each other’s biggest fans,” Brent, who recently joined the cast A strange eyehe previously told PEOPLE about his long-term marriage.
As Brent embarks on his journey as a member A strange eye cast following Bobby Berk’s departure from the show, here’s everything you need to know about Berkus and Brent’s relationship.
Their first date was antique shopping
Although the couple moved in similar circles, sparks did not fly until years after their first meeting. “To be honest, Nate had a serious boyfriend for the first time [we met]. I had a lot of boyfriends. The timing just never felt right, Brent told HGTV about why they didn’t get together initially.
It wasn’t until about three years later that they got close again at Rachel Zoe’s birthday party in New York. During the party, Berkus approached Brent about going antique shopping, and the rest is history.
“I was sitting in a brown leather chair and we were just talking. And I remember thinking to myself, oh my God, what is this? This is not what I thought it was,” Brent recalled of their first date. “There was something about him that, in his presence, I just felt so safe.”
“I’d say it was within 15 minutes. I’ll never forget it,” Berkus added. “It wasn’t because of the conversation, it was just a big energy shift and we both felt it at the same time.”
Nate proposed in Machu Picchu
Stefanie Keenan/Getty
Less than a year after their first date, Berkus popped the question in Peru atop the famed Machu Picchu in April 2013. “From our first date, I knew Jeremiah was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with,” Berkus later told PEOPLE of their engagement. .
Their wedding was a historic moment
On May 4, 2014, Berkus and Brent were married at the New York Public Library, becoming the first same-sex couple to hold their wedding at the iconic New York landmark.
The wedding was officiated by Sheri Salata, former co-president of the Oprah Winfrey Network, and was attended by 220 guests, including their longtime friend Oprah Winfrey, Rachael Ray, Katie Lee, Rebecca Minkoff, Irene Neuwirth, Busy Philipps and Elizabeth Hendrickson of Young and restless.
They have two children together
Jeremiah Brent/ Instagram
Since getting married, the couple has had two children, a daughter named Poppy and a son named Oskar. Speaking to PEOPLE in May 2022, Brent said he thought he’d never have children until he met Berkus.
“Within 10 minutes, I wanted to create a life and a family with him,” he explained. “And that was the first time I really believed that we could do it and that I could do it. He was the first person who made me feel safe enough to say, ‘Okay, we can do this together.’ ”
They welcomed their daughter Poppy Brent-Berkus via surrogate on March 23, 2015. “We are so excited to finally be a family of three! As anyone with a newborn knows, we have our work cut out for us, but we couldn’t be happier to embark on this life-changing journey that is parenthood,” Berkus wrote on Facebook at the time of her birth.
Their son, Oskar Michael Brent-Berkus, was born via surrogate on March 26, 2018. The couple chose the name Oskar in honor of Berkus’ former partner Fernando Bengoechea, who was tragically killed in the 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami; Oskar was Bengoeche’s middle name.
“We have always respected the memory of Fernando in our relationship. He is part of our love story,” Brent told PEOPLE. “It’s such an important chapter in Nate’s life. So the idea of being able to honor his memory in a beautiful way was exciting for us.”
As a family, Brent and Berkus have created holiday traditions, including one that revolves around a certain food that Brent prepares each year.
“My husband Jeremiah actually has a rotating recipe. I’m the one who eats in our house and I’m in charge of the dishwasher,” Berkus said. Good housekeeping in December 2024. “One tradition Jeremiah started over 10 years ago — and we’ve been married 10 years — was that he makes this jalapeño-glazed ham, which is the most delicious thing I’ve ever had. I eat it the day after the holidays .”
They are each other’s biggest cheerleaders
Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty
Being in the same industry, Brent and Berkus always try to support each other in their careers. “Listen, I’m 13 years younger and I’ve just started [my career] when we met. My design company was in complete disarray, I was taking on every project I could,” Brent recalled to PEOPLE of his early career. “But I always stayed that way wanting to make sure I really carved out my own existence within us as a family. , and Nate was always the best support.”
“I don’t know what works for everybody else, but I know what works for us is that we’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders. We’re in the same industry, and that could be really complicated for a lot of people,” Brent added of their relationship. “But we always supported each other. We also stay away from each other. And we really love each other.”
Greenwich Village played a big role in their love story
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Berkus and Brent call New York their home, and Greenwich Village has a special place in their love story. The couple first moved into their beloved home on Fifth Avenue in 2013, just a year before the designers tied the knot.
In 2016, they sold their apartment and moved to Los Angeles where they renovated a stunning Spanish colonial villa. However, after three years on the West Coast, they realized that NYC was their home
Although they lived in the West Village for two years after leaving LA, their Fifth Avenue abode fatefully went back on the market (and they quickly jumped at the chance to buy their “forever home”).
“Most people let it go, but this house was so much more than just a home to us. It was a symbol of a certain time in our lives, not just professionally… but I remember sitting in that house and imagining this big life together, whether it was having kids or writing our wedding vows or dinner parties,” Brent told PEOPLE about the special significance of home. “The house saw that we survived such a tragedy, so there are all these echoes inside.”
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Source: HIS Education