Inside Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo's Fairy Tale Island Wedding
July 29, 2011 — -- It was a picture-perfect wedding. An intimate crowd gathered on a beautiful island before to watch two gorgeous people, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo, tie the knot.
"We see celebrity weddings all the time but this one was a happily ever after … a real love story," Jen Garcia, of People magazine, told "Good Morning America."
Lachey, 37, and Minnillo, 30, were married July 15.
America knows Lachey from his boy band days as the front man for 98 Degrees -- and for his famous first marriage to Jessica Simpson in 2002 that played out in their MTV reality series "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica."
The couple divorced in 2006, and moved on, personally and professionally.
Lachey met Minnillo, a former Miss Teen USA and MTV host, while filming a music video for his song "What's Left of Me."
Their relationship has grown.
"I think Nick's learned a lot from his first marriage to Jessica … he and Vanessa dated for five years …," Garcia said.
"When I proposed to Vanessa I took her to the montage in Orange County. We sat by the pool, had drinks, beautiful day ... got down on both knees and laid it on her," he said, adding, "Now you're stuck with me."
With just 2 months until the big day, they brought in celebrity planner Sharon Sacks, the matrimonial mastermind who planned the weddings of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom. With cameras from TLC capturing every move, they started to prepare -- tasting the menu, deciding on décor, and, for Minnillo, trying on the dress.
In the special, to air Saturday on TLC, we get an inside glimpse what really matters to this couple -- especially to Lachey.
He says he pretends to be excited about all the little details -- such as flowers and forks -- but adds: "I'm excited if she's excited ... I'm happy if she's happy."
Minnillo was charmed when Lachey tried on tuxedos.
"Baby, you're sexy," she said.
By far the biggest challenge was securing an intimate location without anyone finding out.
"They decided on a destination wedding with a twist, and told their guests to pack with an island chic wedding and bring their passport," Garcia said.
The surprise destination? Richard Branson's private island in the British Virgin Islands. It was private and perfect, but there were still concerns.
"Helicopters and paparazzi around the island … for us that's nightmare scenario," Lachey said. "We really don't want that to happen."
So they did something guaranteed to stop that.
"We pull fireworks permits -- the FAA will not allow any type of aircraft over the area if there's a permit," Sacks said.
On the big day, after four days of island fun with just 35 family members and friends, all their planning paid off.
Vanessa was stunning in a two-piece Monique Lhuillier ensemble, and she and her new husband danced the night away barefoot, before a grand farewell of fireworks.
"It was really just a small group of people, people that they really love and trust and people that when they look back on it in 20 years they're still going to be friends with those people," Garcia said.
"When you see the smiles on their face, you can't buy that love and happiness," Sacks said. "You just can't buy it!"
