Once upon a time, a supermodel and my personal fave Suite Life of Zach and Cody twin (srry Cole), met at a party, had one of their first IRL encounters on a sporadic trip to China, and are now engaged five years later. No, that's not some obscure Disney fan-fiction lol, but it does happen to be Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse's life!
Just yesterday, a source dropped the bombshell deets to Entertainment Tonight that the couple recently got engaged. "Dylan and Barbara are engaged...They have been showing off her ring to people and are so happy. They’re always very in love with one another and by each other’s sides, but they’re even happier than usual. They can't wait to start this new chapter together."
Curious about how we got here? We've got ya covered. Let's get into the story of Dylan and Barbara's romance, shall we? Starting with....
2017:
Dylan and Barbara meet for the first time at a party, after which the actor slides into the model's DMs. It's giving modern-day meet-cute, and I am here for it! "She followed me, so I was like, I guess I'll give her something. And I slid into her DMs," Dylan tells W Magazine years later in 2019. "I was like, 'Hey, I don't know if you're in New York for very long, but we should hang out if you want to. Here's my number.' And she didn't message me for six months. Barbara later explains, "I knew I wasn’t in a good mind-set at the time, and maybe deep inside I knew that it could be something more."
The main lesson here? Good things come to those who wait, people!
June 2018:
Barbara decides to join Dylan—who is heading to China for a six-month shoot—for what ends up being their first date! She later on dishes to People Now in 2019, "I was supposed to work in China and then they canceled the job. And I was like 'Do you think that's crazy that I still want to go and see you?' Because I was so excited. And he was like 'Please come.'"
She confesses that he'd asked to be exclusive but she told him she had to get to know him better: "Then I was like, 'Okay, let's do it.'…I just sat down, took a deep breath, and I'm like, 'What am I waiting for? There's no other guy I would love more than I love him, and he's got everything that I need.'" The couple begins to ~officially~ date after the trip.
August 4, 2018
Dylan and Barbara make their 'ship Instagram official when the model posts a sweet pic alongside her beau for his birthday. "Even though it’s your birthday I feel I just got the biggest present of all ♥?????Happy birthday Boss Baby," it reads.
November 9, 2018
Being the supportive boyfriend he is, Dylan goes all out to be there for Barbara as she takes the stage at the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (her first time back on that runway in six years!)
"He is bringing Shake Shack burgers for me," the model says backstage while she's preparing for the catwalk.
P.S. She also posts this sweet pic after the show, which is truly *chef's kiss*:
January 2019
The couple moves in together (!!!) and buys a space in Brooklyn, New York. Witness the cuteness here:
February 8, 2019
Barbara reveals she has yet to meet Dylan's twin brother, Cole Sprouse, because he has a packed schedule filming Riverdale. That said, she hopes they can get the chance to get acquainted "soon," which brings us to....
February 24, 2019
Barbara finally meets Cole at 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar party, aka the least casual setting ever but that's Hollywood for ya!
March 18, 2019
The model shares a sweet tribute on her Instagram dedicated to her friends and Dylan, all of whom planned a celebration in honor of her new status as a Victoria's Secret Angel.
"Soooo my friends surprised me last night and I only cried of shock for 2 minutes. A new record! Thank you and I love you all ????."
June 16, 2019
Barbara takes the short and sweet IG route on her anniversary with Dylan, writing, "happy anniversary I love you" alongside a carousel of photos on Instagram. Love!
February 9, 2020
The couple attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party together, and Barbara commemorates the night with a gushing Insta post captioned,"In my dream dress with my dream date ♥?."
June 17, 2020
Dylan tweets a touching yet hilarious tribute to his girlfriend on their two-year anniversary.
February 15, 2021
Barbara posts a V-Day IG, writing, "My Valentine," posting a day late cause I was too busy loving you yesterday. Thank you for being you! And thank you for baking the most delicious pumpkin pie cheesecake. I love you."
July 1, 2022
The couple's egregiously photogenic faces appear in Bazzi's music video for his single, "Miss America." TL;DR: In the vid, the supermodel plays a Miss America contestant, while Dylan is a judge.
August 31, 2022
Dylan and Barbara make an iconic appearance on the Bones and All red carpet at the Venice International Film Festival. Ahem, observe:
Oh, and if you haven't seen the TikTok vid compilations, here's a lil taste of them. Happy crying!
December 16, 2022
The duo goes on a hike with their bb puppy in the hills of Los Angeles, and all of a sudden I question whether this wellness combo is the key to happiness because look at them! The skin glow is unreal.
February 14, 2023
During a romantic Valentine's Day dinner, Dylan surprises Barbara with a serenade by the restaurant's band that brings the model to tears. In a since-deleted post, the Suite Life of Zach and Cody alum penned, "Happy Valentine's Day to the gal who loves trumpets to the point of tears, my Calamity Jane, the mother of our furry baby. This one's for you."
March 21, 2023
A source tells Entertainment Tonight the longtime couple is engaged!!!!! "Dylan and Barbara are engaged," the insider dishes. "They have been showing off her ring to people and are so happy. They’re always very in love with one another and by each other’s sides, but they’re even happier than usual. They can't wait to start this new chapter together."
The news doesn't come as shocking to many because just a few weeks prior, Dylan and Barbara sparked engagement rumors when they were spotted at the Mammoth Film Festival and the supermodel had a ring on *that* finger.
Now excuse me while I go ahead and manifest a love like this for myself!