Sutter squad, assemble! Trista and Ryan Sutter met during the inaugural season of The Bachelorette and have since become an adorable family of four.
Trista made her first Bachelor Nation appearance during season 1 of The Bachelor, which aired in 2002. After Alex Michel selected her as the runner-up, she became the first-ever Bachelorette in January 2003. After winning Trista’s heart during the regular season, Ryan wed his love in a televised special that aired in December of that year.
“It was the best day ever,” the Indiana native told Us Weekly of her TV wedding in March 2021. “A close second to my children’s births. … I don’t regret it at all. It was a beautiful day and I feel very lucky to have had the experience.”
Now the longest-running couple in Bachelor Nation history, the duo welcomed their first child, son Maxwell Alston, in July 2007. A daughter, Blakesley Grace, followed in April 2009.
“We struggled with infertility for almost two years,” Trista revealed in February 2015. “I always wanted to be a mom. It was always my dream, and although I wanted to be a career person for a very long time, overplaying that at all times was to become a mother.”
Blakesley and Maxwell haven’t yet seen their parents’ season of The Bachelorette, but they know that the moment when they find it online is coming soon. “I don’t think we’re going to have a choice these days,” the firefighter told Us in May 2019 when asked if he wanted his kids to watch the show. “It’s hard for me to watch, and I’m a grown up.”
The Dancing With the Stars alum agreed, adding that it would be fine as long as they fully explained what was happening. “They know the basic premise of the show, and I think as long as we talk about it, we’ll be fine,” she explained, joking that she hopes the episodes don’t “scar them for life.”
No matter when their children see the show, though, the fact remains that the pair are the platonic ideal of a happy Bachelor Nation couple. “You just put your time and effort into your marriage, and into each other,” Trista told Us in March 2019. “You prioritize each other. You focus on trust and respect and love and friendship, and enjoying each other, enjoying what you love to do together in this life.”
Keep scrolling to see the Sutters’ cutest shots with their kids over the years:
