Ben Higgins and Jessica Clarke’s Relationship Timeline

Credit: Courtesy Jess Clarke/Instagram; Shutterstock; RP Imagery

Ben Higgins and Jessica Clarke’s Relationship Timeline

Ben Higgins may have given his final rose to Lauren Bushnell, but he found lasting love with Jessica Clarke. Bachelor Nation first met Higgins when he competed for Kaitlyn Bristowe’s heart on season 11 of The Bachelorette. After finishing in third place, ABC named the Colorado native the season 20 Bachelor. Higgins subsequently got down on one knee and proposed to Bushnell during the March 2016 finale. The duo, who landed their own spinoff, Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?, called it quits in May 2017. “I would say the joy that we felt toward our relationship at the beginning was — for some reason — slipping away,” Higgins revealed on his “Almost Famous” podcast at the time. “And we were both working very hard to bring that joy back. And it just never seemed to get there. So it was a long time coming but it wasn’t necessarily like we dragged it out. … It’s hard to say goodbye to somebody that you spent so much time with and it’s hard to say goodbye to somebody that you really did believe was The One.” While Higgins returned to reality TV to compete on The Bachelor: Winter Games in 2018, he quit the spinoff without a love connection. By the end of that year, however, Higgins met Clarke through Instagram. [jwplayer VyRhDPWn-zhNYySv2] “She’s a very kind, pure, emphatic and supportive person in general. And she’s not only like that to me. I’m part of that, but she’s like that to everybody around her,” Higgins gushed to Us in April 2019. “She challenges me to be more empathetic, more loving, more caring, more kind as well. So I’m very happy.” The pair's relationship got serious quick. “We’re great. It’s fun. It’s just healthy … I think she would say the same. Our relationship is healthy,” Higgins told Us in January 2020. “I’m a better version of myself, a more free version of myself than I’ve been in a while.” Higgins proposed to Clarke in March 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. “From my first date in life to the moments in between they all led me to getting down on one knee in front of you @jessclarke_,” he wrote at the time via Instagram. “This weekend I asked Jessica to give me the honor of being her partner for life. She said YES! I now officially have the most beautiful, kind-hearted, supportive, well-intentioned person to spend life with! Our adventurous ride through life together is just starting.” Before they said “I do” in November 2021, Higgins detailed what was in store for his and Clarke’s wedding exclusively with Us. “We want it to be a party as soon as you walk through the door. We’re not having a sit-down dinner,” he shared, adding that they would have plenty of "COVID-19 friendly" food stations, including pizza, wraps, nachos and more. He continued: “We will do our traditional dances, but we wanted people just moving and grooving for the reception and one of the big catalysts to that was I believe that we have the best wedding band in the world — Taylor Pace Orchestra.” Scroll through for Higgins and Clarke’s relationship timeline. [podcast_block]

Credit: Courtesy Jess Clarke/Instagram

2018

Higgins and Clarke met in late 2018 via Instagram.

Credit: Courtesy Jess Clarke/Instagram

February 2019

The reality TV personality introduced his followers to Clarke in February 2019.

“I’ve been selfishly keeping this girl to myself for too long! Hey friends meet @jessclarke_!” Higgins wrote on February 20. “I successfully slid into her Dm’s a few months ago. I took a risk and I am glad I did. She is someone special, and I look forward to where life is going to take us. Stay tuned for the journey.”

Credit: Courtesy Jess Clarke/Instagram

March 2019

The pair were in a long-distance relationship when they first started dating.

“Long-distance isn’t ideal, I don’t love it. I want to be around her more and we don’t get to be around each other a ton, so that’s not something I want to keep doing,” Higgins told Us in March 2019. “But I think there’s a good compromise, and that’s giving up more of my time to go see her. And I’m ready for that. … She’s just an incredible person.”

Credit: RP Imagery

March 2020

Higgins put a ring on it in March 2020. Us broke the news of their engagement.

Credit: Shutterstock

April 2020

The couple made headlines in April 2020 after Higgins revealed that they were waiting to have sex until they tied the knot.

“It’s just something that we both felt comfortable talking to each other about. I forget the exact scenario that it came up,” Higgins told Us at the time. “We didn’t know at that point — who knew where it was going, but like, you know, [I said], ‘Let’s just make this commitment now.’ We had talked about it and agreed to it. Oftentimes that we bring it up. Like, we still have the desires and we still have the emotions and the physical desires to love each other.”

Credit: Courtesy of Ben Higgins/Instagram/Shutterstock

May 2020

The twosome wasted no time planning their nuptials.

“All I want is our reception to be in a huge tent with twinkly lights. That’s the only dream I’ve ever had of a wedding,” Clarke told Us in May 2020.

Credit: Courtesy Ben Higgins/Instagram

June 2020

When Higgins’ season of The Bachelor re-aired as part of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! in June 2020, he told Us that Clarke wouldn’t be tuning in.

“She is my partner, and I want her to know that I don’t want her to feel any sort of heartbreak or sadness from that. So she’ll make an appearance on the show, but she will not be watching it,” Higgins told Us about The Bachelor: GOAT. “She’s going to get through that day, and probably the week afterward, with all the comments about my season, and then we’ll move on. But it’s not healthy, I don’t think, for her to probably watch it.”

Clarke took to Instagram to show Higgins support, however. “Cheering you on from afar tonight,” she wrote. “I’m so proud of who you are and happy for all of the steps that led me to you! You make me smile so big it smushes my face.”

Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Clarke/Instagram

November 2020

Clarke shared a photo on Instagram of Higgins kissing her and marked a special anniversary. "Every Thanksgiving from now on, I’ll remember the first message you sent me!" she wrote of receiving a message from her future husband on Instagram. "Waking up 2 years ago and seeing a DM from a random stranger, I never imagined I’d be marrying him."

"Thank you for supporting me in following my dreams, loving me on my most tired days, making me a better person, and always making me feel like I am good enough just as I am," Clarke continued. "This photo is from last year when we were traveling all of the time. I remember being so worried that one day life would slow down and we wouldn’t know what to do with one another, but this year I’ve learned that those slow days are my favorite."

Credit: Courtesy of Ben Higgins/Instagram

December 2020

Higgins revealed via Instagram that the couple are officially homeowners in Colorado. “Jess and I now own a house together (staying in Denver)! We don’t own any furniture but we are hoping Mr. Claus and Mrs. Claus send some our way this Christmas,” he captioned a photo of the pair in their new home. “Until then, our and probably next many dinners in the new house will be on the floor, just the way it should be! Also, before you start blowing up the comments this will be Jess private VIP party pad until the wedding, then I move in to crash the place! Let the fun begin!”

Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Clarke/Instagram

January 2021

As Clarke gushed about her future following 2020’s many challenges, she shared her excitement about finally marrying Higgins. “This year I hope to be able to see friends and family more, continue making our house a home, begin a career as an esthetician, and of course GET MARRIED,” she shared via Instagram.

Credit: Courtesy of Ben Higgins/Instagram

October 2021

“Had the opportunity to stop watching football on Sunday to go pick up the future wife of the party!” Higgins wrote via Instagram alongside photos of the couple at Clarke’s bridal shower. “Only a month till I get to show off my tux and watch @jessclarke_ cry (beautifully and happily) down the aisle!”

Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Clarke Higgins/Instagram

November 2021

The couple exchanged vows at Cherokee Dock in Nashville with Nick Viall, Shawn Booth, Ashley Iaconetti, Jared Haibon, Becca Kufrin, Thomas Jacobs and more Bachelor Nation members in attendance.

Credit: Courtesy Ben Higgins/Instagram

November 2021

The newlyweds spent their honeymoon at Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa in St. Bart's. In an Instagram post, Clarke called it "the most romantic week," adding that the duo's favorite food from the trip was truffle pizza. "I personally loved the mornings and breakfast by the ocean," she wrote. Higgins, for his part, said in his own Instagram post that he enjoyed seeing sea turtles while snorkeling.

Credit: Courtesy Ben Higgins/Instagram

November 2021

After their tropical vacation, the couple returned to the U.S. for a seasonal tradition: Christmas tree hunting. "We found the one! It’s bigger than expected but for your first week of marriage you got to get memorable!" Higgins joked via Instagram. "In our house we say 'go big tree or go home disappointed.'"

Credit: Courtesy of Ben Higgins/Instagram

January 2022

“Welcome home Waylon we have been waiting for you,” the Bachelor Winter Games alum captioned an Instagram snap with his wife and their new puppy.

Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Clarke Higgins/Instagram

August 2022

Higgins exclusively told Us that Clarke has "never watched" his season of The Bachelor. "I bet Jess has asked me about the show less than five times in our four years together," he joked.

However, his wife did catch a season 20 episode during her college days, as her mom is a big fan of the series. "She watched one episode [of] my season when she was in college, and her mom claims that Jessica walked in the room and [said], 'I could date that guy,'" Higgins recalled. "Her mom said that was shocking, because Jessica never spoke like that. Like, [she] never spoke openly about who she was into or what she's into."

It was because of that remark that Clarke's mom encouraged her to respond to her future husband's DM years later. "Her mom was like, 'Whoa that's ... a weird [full] circle moment,'" he told Us. "'You should message him back. See what happens.' And then we're married."