There's a poignant moment in the new Jonas Brothers documentary, Chasing Happiness, that makes me happy to exist in a world in which we feel the compulsive need to document everything.
In a few years, when events have passed and life has happened, who knows what significance that cache of candid footage living on our smartphones will take on?
So, we scroll back and laugh at everything our younger selves didn't know yet – just like we chuckle in Chasing Happiness, when a 20-year-old Kevin Jonas calls Danielle Deleasa on the phone from the back of an SUV to finalize plans for her to come their show that night in November 2007. He didn't know it, but he was talking to his future wife.
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A row in front of him, Nick and Joe Jonas give the running commentary listed under the job description for younger brother. "Don't talk to me while I'm on the phone anymore," an annoyed Kevin snaps after he hangs up.
It's Nick's unflinching response that lends the interaction, more than a decade later, such an eerie quality. "Sorry. We were just excited because she's your wife," Nick says. Nick's prediction was spot-on: Kevin and Danielle would get married two years later, in December 2009.
Chasing Happiness only winks at Kevin and Danielle Jonas' early days, choosing to focus more on their lives now. Kevin and Danielle live in a mansion in New Jersey with their two daughters, Alena Rose (born in 2014) and Valentina Angelina (born in 2016). But we know you're curious about their origin story — here's what you need to know.
Who is Danielle Deleasa?
Like the Jonas Brothers, Danielle is a New Jersey native. She was raised in Denville, NJ and was living with her family when she met Kevin. She worked as a hairdresser.
How did Kevin Jonas & Danielle Deleasa meet?
Though Denville is only a few miles away from the Jonas Brothers' hometown of Wyckoff, NJ, it took a Caribbean vacation to bring Kevin and Danielle together. Kevin and Danielle met while taking a family vacation to the Bahamas in May 2007. Later that fall, the Jonas Brothers' fame would take off through a partnership with Disney and the song "The Year 3000" going viral. But at that point, the Jonas Brothers weren't officially famous. Danielle hadn't heard of the band at all.
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At first, Danielle wasn't interested in pursuing Kevin since he lived a coast away in Los Angeles "'I’m never going to see this kid again, so why would I spend time away from my family while we’re on vacation?' I was like, 'Why should I waste my time?'" Danielle told PR.com in 2012.
Kevin got Danielle's phone number from her older sister, and then made sure their romance would continue after vacation. He checked to see what flight she was taking home, and then called her the minute she landed. "That might have been a little overboard, but I just went for it," Kevin told Glamour.
When did Kevin and Danielle get engaged?
It was a relatively speedy courtship. In July 2009, Kevin left a Jonas Brothers concert, flew to New Jersey, and proposed to Deleasa. “She said 'yes, yes, yes' like 500 times super fast in a row,” Kevin told People. “It was tough performing last night, knowing that I was going to ask the biggest question in my life to the most amazing girl in the world.”
Kevin addressed their decision to marry young in an interview with PR.com. "So many people have said that to us, like, 'You’re so young, why the rush to get married?' But honestly, from the minute we met to the minute we got married, we wanted to do things our way. We’ll do kids in our time as well."
What was Kevin and Danielle's wedding like?
The Jonas Brothers have had three different types of weddings. Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra's extravagant Indian wedding rivaled Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's in hype and lavishness. Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner had a surprise Las Vegas wedding.
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Of the three, Kevin Jonas and Danielle Deleasa's December 2009 ceremony was the most traditional. They got married on Long Island during a blizzard. Danielle wore a strapless tulle and Chantilly lace Vera Wang gown, going for the princess look. She wore flowers in her hair — just like she had when she met Kevin on the beach.
What are Kevin and Danielle doing now?
The reality TV show Married to Jonas, which aired from 2012 to 2013, documented the couple's early years. Chasing Happiness gives a picture of the rest. Essentially, they're domestic blissed out. Kevin and Danielle live in New Jersey and are busy raising their two daughters.
Danielle started a line of birthstone jewelry called Moments, and Kevin is busy making music with his brothers after a five-year hiatus.
The Jonas Brothers' new album drops on June 5. Chasing Happiness is now streaming on Amazon Prime.