Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente Marry

Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente first crossed paths at his family's Miami jiu-jitsu academy in late 2021, where he was her instructor. Their friendship slowly turned romantic in June 2023, and they welcomed a baby boy in February 2025 before quietly marrying on December 3, 2025, in a backyard ceremony at their Surfside, Florida home. Just 20–30 guests attended, and Gisele wore a simple gold band. There's a lot more to their story than you'd expect.

Key Takeaways

• Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente married on December 3, 2025, in an intimate backyard ceremony at their Surfside, Florida home.
• The wedding had only 20–30 guests, including Gisele's children Benjamin and Vivian, with no celebrity attendees present.
• Gisele chose a simple gold band, reflecting the couple's deliberately low-key, spectacle-free approach to the ceremony.
• The couple met at Valente Brothers Academy in Miami, where Joaquim taught jiu-jitsu before their romance began in June 2023.
• No official social media wedding announcement was made, consistent with the couple's longstanding commitment to privacy.

How Gisele and Joaquim First Met at a Miami Jiu-Jitsu Academy

The love story between Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente traces back to a Miami Jiu-Jitsu academy his family owns and operates. A friend recommended the Valente Brothers Academy, prompting Gisele's family enrollment in late 2021. She initially brought her son Benjamin to assess classes, hoping structured training would guide him positively.

During that first visit, a conversation with Joaquim about martial philosophy caught her attention. His approach went beyond physical self-defense, emphasizing personal development and becoming your best self. That mindset aligned with her own values, quickly pulling her from observer to active participant. For those managing busy schedules around training commitments, tracking work hours accurately can help balance professional and personal routines.

Their relationship started strictly professional, with Joaquim as teacher and Gisele as student. Over shared training sessions, though, a genuine friendship developed, quietly laying the foundation for something far more meaningful. Romantic relationship began in June 2023, after months of friendship built through consistent training at the academy.

From Teacher and Student to Something Much More

What started as a professional teacher-student dynamic gradually blossomed into something far more personal. During Gisele's divorce period, Joaquim became a trusted source of comfort, and that boundary shift transformed their connection beyond the mat.

Here's how their relationship evolved:

• Their friendship deepened throughout 2022, including a mid-November Costa Rica trip with her children following her divorce filing.
• By June 2023, what began as a teacher-student arrangement had become a full romantic relationship.
• They kept things private initially, letting the connection grow organically before confirming the romance publicly in February 2024.

Gisele described the relationship as honest and transparent, a breath of fresh air contrast to her past experiences. The slow, intentional progression clearly laid a strong foundation for everything that followed. Their bond deepened further when Gisele welcomed a baby boy in February 2025, marking Joaquim's first child and Gisele's third.

How Her Divorce From Tom Brady Changed What She Was Looking for

After nearly 14 years of marriage, Gisele walked away from her relationship with Tom Brady with a clearer sense of what she actually needed from a partner. Tom's decision to un-retire and continuously prioritize his career over family forced her to redefine her post divorce priorities completely. She realized she'd been tolerating an imbalance that wasn't sustainable.

That emotional boundaries redesign didn't happen overnight, but it shaped exactly who she'd eventually gravitate toward. When Joaquim Valente entered her life as a jiu-jitsu instructor, you can see how different the dynamic was from the start. He showed up consistently, prioritized presence, and operated outside the spotlight-driven world she'd shared with Tom. Gisele wasn't looking for fame this time. She was looking for steadiness. In a 2024 interview, she broke down crying while discussing the divorce, making clear that the emotional toll of the split ran far deeper than any public narrative suggested.

Why Gisele and Joaquim Let the Relationship Move So Slowly?

Gisele and Joaquim didn't rush into anything, and understanding why reveals just as much about her growth as it does about the relationship itself. Their paced intimacy wasn't accidental — it reflected deliberate boundary setting shaped by her divorce experience.

• They kept the relationship private for eight months, confirming it publicly only in February 2024
• Gisele prioritized friendship first, calling Joaquim "the first person I'm seeing who was a friend of mine first"
• Their approach included gradually integrating him into family life, including a Costa Rica trip with her children before going public

You can see how each step built on the last. Nothing was forced. That intentional slowness gave both of them room to trust the relationship before the world weighed in. When cheating allegations surfaced, Gisele directly denied them in a March 2024 New York Times interview, stating plainly, "That is a lie."

The Baby Boy Gisele and Joaquim Welcomed Before the Wedding

Before the wedding came something even bigger — a baby boy, born in February 2025, marking Gisele and Joaquim's first child together.

They guarded their newborn privacy carefully, never revealing his face in photos, though you can spot an adorable smile peeking under a baseball cap in his mother's arms.

Gisele documented her postpartum joy through a heartfelt year-end Instagram post, sharing everything from glowing baby bump photos to tender nursing moments.

Her caption said it all: "Becoming a mother again reshaped everything — my time, my priorities, my heart."

You'll also notice her older children, Benjamin and Vivian, from her marriage to Tom Brady, welcoming their little brother. Benjamin is 16 years old and Vivian is 13, making the age gap with their new sibling quite wide.

Joaquim married Gisele in December 2025, making one remarkable year complete — new baby, new husband, new chapter.

Why Gisele Called Joaquim Her Soulmate and Best Friend?

When Gisele first stepped into the Valente Brothers' jiu-jitsu academy in late 2021, romance was the last thing on her mind — she was there for her son. Yet what grew between her and Joaquim carried real emotional resonance, rooted in trust built long before any romantic feelings emerged.

She's described him as honest, transparent, and unlike anyone she'd dated before — someone she knew as a friend first. Before Joaquim, her most high-profile relationship was with Leonardo DiCaprio.

• Their bond deepened during her divorce, offering comfort without pressure
• Mutual growth defined their connection, evolving naturally from support to love
• She called dating a prior friend a first for her, making it feel genuine

That friendship foundation is exactly why Gisele sees Joaquim as both her soulmate and best friend.

The Backyard Wedding Gisele and Joaquim Kept Almost Entirely Private

Tucked away in a Surfside, Florida backyard on December 3, the wedding Gisele and Joaquim quietly pulled off was everything a celebrity ceremony typically isn't — small, unhurried, and almost entirely out of the public eye.

Their privacy rituals started early — they withheld the announcement for weeks, issued no press releases, and let third-party outlets break the news instead. You'd never find an official social media post marking the moment.

The backyard intimacy they created welcomed only 20–30 guests, including Gisele's children Benjamin and Vivian, Joaquim's relatives, and their newborn son.

Insiders described it as "simple and beautiful," deliberately stripped of spectacle. For Gisele, exhausted by years of public scrutiny, that quiet Miami backyard wasn't just a setting — it was a statement. Sources close to the couple say Gisele feels so in love and happy, as though she truly has it all.

Who Was There on December 3?

The backyard that hosted Gisele and Joaquim's December 3 ceremony held no more than 20–30 guests — and that was entirely by design. When you look at the private ceremony details, the family attendees tell a clear story about their priorities.

• Gisele's children, Benjamin (16) and Vivian (13), stood alongside the couple, as did their newborn son born earlier in 2025.
• Joaquim's relatives joined the gathering, keeping the guest list tight and intentional.
• Gisele's extended family rounded out the intimate group, making December 3 a true family milestone.

You won't find celebrity cameos or industry guests here. Every person in that backyard belonged there — chosen deliberately, reflecting exactly the peaceful, private life Gisele and Joaquim built together. The ceremony was held at the couple's home in Surfside, Florida, grounding the celebration in the everyday life they had already been building.

The Guest List, the Gold Band, and the Moment That Made It Real

Every person in that backyard earned their spot. Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente kept their December 3 ceremony in Surfside, Florida, to an intentionally tight circle. You'd find Bündchen's older children, the couple's baby son, and Valente's relatives forming the family witness to their intimate vows. No crowds, no cameras, no elaborate staging — just minimal decor and the people who mattered most.

Sources confirm no flashy jewelry details made headlines, which tells you everything about their priorities. A quiet gold band, a simple exit, and a life already built on friendship and shared values — that's what they chose. They'd grown tired of public scrutiny, so they protected this moment completely, letting the ceremony exist exactly as they intended: small, honest, and entirely theirs. Bündchen has spoken openly about wanting to do things her own way, a desire that shaped every deliberate choice made that day.

Where Gisele and Joaquim Stand Today as a Family?

Since welcoming their son in February 2025, Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente have built a family life that's grounded, active, and deliberately low-key. Their family routines reflect emotional resilience and intentional togetherness across all five members.

Here's what their daily life actually looks like:

• Home gym play: Joaquim gets on the yoga mat with their infant son, making movement a shared experience from day one
• Teen inclusion: Benjamin (16) and Vivian (13) join pool days, beach volleyball, and shared meals — no one's left on the sidelines
• Florida as home base: The family recharges together at their Florida home, keeping life centered and calm

You can see a couple that chose connection over chaos, building something real rather than performative. Their December wedding in Florida marked the beginning of a new chapter — one that insiders describe as making Gisele "very, very happy."