Meant to be. Lauren Luyendyk (née Burnham) thinks that she and husband Arie Luyendyk Jr. managed to beat the odds and become one of the few long-lasting Bachelor couples simply because they are perfect for one another.
“Honestly, it’s hard to say [why we’ve outlasted other Bachelor couples] because I think every situation is so different,” the reality TV personality, 30, told Us Weekly exclusively on Monday, October 10, while speaking about her holiday collaboration with Cupshe. “For us, I feel like — I don’t wanna get too spiritual on you guys — but I feel like it was kind of fate. Like, I think that we were both meant to be in the place we were at the time we were there, and we were brought together.”
Lauren added that she and the race car driver, 41, are “kind of the same person,” which helps them see the other person’s perspective. “I feel like he’s the male version of me and I’m the female version of him,” the mother of three explained. “So, we have this mutual understanding of each other, and we have really good communication, but it’s because we prioritize that with each other.”
The couple — who met on season 22 of The Bachelor, which aired in 2018, and got engaged after Arie’s split from initial winner Becca Kufrin — also make an effort to spend time with one another in order to keep the romance alive.
“In the morning, we used to wake up an hour before the kids did just so we could have coffee together and plan our day,” she said, adding that their 3-year-old daughter, Alessi, “kind of threw a wrench into that.” Lauren and Arie are also parents to twins Senna and Lux, 15 months.
“But we try and just find gaps in our day [to spend time together],” the influencer continued. “If the kids are napping and we have the grandparents over, or if we have a babysitter, we can go to lunch together real quick and come back or get coffee.”
Lauren also said that working together on various projects also allows them to hang out without their kids. “But we just always try and make sure if one of us is feeling like we need the other one that we make time for it and like prioritize that over everything. … Because at the end of the day, we need us to be solid for everything else to work around us.”
As they’ve gotten older, Lauren has also found opportunities to collaborate with her little ones — including her new Cupshe collection, which features matching mommy-and-me ensembles for the holiday season. “I always have fun dressing up [with my daughters],” the Virginia native told Us. “It doesn’t matter really what we’re doing. [Alessi] loves, like, accessorizing, that’s probably her favorite part.”
While the collection offers plenty of options for adorable coordinating moments, Lauren also wanted to make sure that the clothes reflected how her style has changed since becoming a mother of three.
“My style has definitely changed a lot,” she said. “I try and do things that are functional, but also trendy, but also, like, my body is different now, so I have to dress differently to … wear things that are flattering for my new body type. “I think this collection does a really good job of highlighting the best attributes for different body types.”
Just like Lauren took inspiration from her own life for the Cupshe collection, Alessi has also looked to her family while developing her unique sense of style.
“Alessi is funny. She loves to wear her brother and sister’s clothes right now,” she said of her eldest daughter. “So she’ll go in pick out some leggings from ballet and then put one of their onesies on over it with some slippers and some sunglasses and be like, ‘I’m ready to go, mom.'”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
