Vanessa Bryant would have celebrated 20 years of marriage on Sunday. Kobe Bryant’s widow took to Instagram on Sunday to mark the occasion with a sweet throwback pic from their wedding.
Kobe and Vanessa married at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California on April 18, 2001. The photo Vanessa shared on Sunday shows her in her wedding dress, wrapping her arms around Kobe’s neck and pulling him in for a kiss.
“Happy Anniversary, baby. I love you. 20 years. ❤️ @kobebryant,” she captioned the snap.
Vanessa also shared a montage of videos of herself and Kobe throughout the years, writing, “I love you for now, forever and for always @kobebryant ❤️❤️.”
Fans and celeb friends offered Vanessa their support in the comments.
Kobe met Vanessa during a music video shoot in 1999 while she was still in high school and he was just 20 years old. They got engaged when she turned 18, and tied the knot soon after.
Just over a year after the helicopter crash that killed and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, Vanessa opened up about doing her best to cope with the loss.
“This pain is unimaginable, [but] you just have to get up and push forward. Lying in bed crying isn’t going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again,” Vanessa told People in March. “But getting out of bed and pushing forward is going to make the day better for my girls and for me. So that’s what I do.”
