Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev Are Married: ‘We Both Can’t Stop Smiling’

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella

Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev have made it official!

The Total Bellas star announced the happy news Monday on Instagram, and the wedding took place in Paris over the weekend, a source tells PEOPLE.

“We said I DO,” Bella captioned a photo of her and the Dancing with the Stars pro’s hands with their new wedding bands. She also shared a picture of her and Chigvintsev embracing and taking in the Paris skyline, including the Eiffel Tower, as they toasted their newlywed status.

She shared another photo of her holding her new husband’s hand on her Instagram Story, writing, “We both can’t stop smiling I never want this feeling to end. I will love you forever and ever Mr Chigvintsev.”

nikki bella/instagram

Bella also teased, “Can’t wait to share the entire journey with you,” alongside the news the wedding will be featured in a four-part E! special called Nikki Bella Says I Do.

Bella, 38, and Chigvintsev, 40, met in 2017 while partnered together on season 25 of DWTS. At the time, she was engaged to John Cena, but the pair called off their engagement and canceled their wedding in 2018.

In March 2019, Bella and Chigvintsev confirmed their romance on Instagram and got engaged during a romantic trip to France that November.

Bella and Chigvintsev welcomed son Matteo Artemovich on July 31, 2020 — less than 24 hours before Bella’s twin sister, Brie, welcomed her second child, son Buddy Dessert, with husband Daniel Bryan.

The next month, Bella reflected on the first time she saw Chigvintsev hold their baby and what that moment meant to her.

“It made me so emotional,” she told PEOPLE. “It’s crazy because I’m already in love with this person. I’ve created a life with them and we’re engaged.”

She continued, “But in that moment I had fallen so much more in love with him because to see him be so emotional holding his son, and I could just see this caretaker form, like this man that’s going to protect this little boy for the rest of his life. Just seeing the emotion in his face, it made me melt.”

The reality star added that she knew then that Chigvintsev would be “an amazing father” to Matteo.

“I was like, ‘We need to plan our wedding. I need to lock this s— in.’ But it just melted me,” she said. “I could just tell in that moment that he was going to be such an amazing father. You rarely see that side of men. So when you see them just let go and be so emotional while they’re holding something you love so much is the best feeling ever. Huge turn-on.”

Nikki Bella/ Instagram Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella with son Matteo

The couple did finally set their wedding date during the season 6 finale of Total Bellas in January 2021 — more than a year after getting engaged.

“We are going to be getting married the weekend of Thanksgiving 2021!” Bella announced as her family cheered and popped a bottle of champagne, E! News reported at the time.

The news came after Bella and Chigvintsev sat down for a serious discussion about the postpartum depression the new mom suffered after giving birth to their son.

“I think it’s hard for men to truly understand postpartum,” the former WWE star told her fiancé during the episode. “Our body goes through so many changes inside and out and the battle we face mentally as moms, as a new mom, figuring that out … I’ll be honest, I started to just feel super invisible.”

“If something makes you feel not happy, I think you should talk to me about it,” the pro dancer said. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.”

Later that month, the couple revealed that they had been going to couples therapy.

“It’s mainly just to be amazing parents and knowing how to balance parent life out and also our own relationship,” Bella had explained during a November 2020 appearance on The Tamron Hall Show. “Because Artem and I don’t ever want to have a struggle. You know, we plan on being married.”

David Livingston/Getty Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev on Dancing with the Stars

Earlier this year, Bella opened up to PEOPLE about why the pair haven’t rushed to the altar.

“I think being a reality star for seven years, I took people on such a journey that they still have, like, input about my life,” she said. “So at times, I get into that mode where I feel like I have to defend it because I’ll see people say all these things online and make it a negative. I’m like, it’s not a negative.”

Additionally, Bella cited “building a house” with the Russian dancer and parenting their child as reasons for their delayed ceremony.

“Life is really stressful,” she added. “We’re barely home together at the same time. There’s a lot more, I don’t want to say important things in life, but a lot more [to focus on].”