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It's not what it seems.
By Christine Schoenwald — Written on Nov 06, 2017
When it comes to uncovering relationship details and rumors about Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, the couple that's so famous as individuals and as a couple (Kimye) that you don’t even need a last name to know who you’re talking about, there is plenty of material to sift through from when they first met to their wedding. They have huge social media followings, tons of fans, and people stalk their every move.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's marriage is hardly ordinary — and the two of them have always stood out from the crowd.
Even as a student at Marymount High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Los Angeles, Kim made an impression and was voted "Most Likely to Lie About her Ethnicity" (which must have been a joke as she's always been proud of her Armenian heritage) and "Most Likely to Meet her husband at the Million Man March." Kanye wrote his first rap song "Green Eggs and Ham" when he was in middle school and was already focusing on cultivating his musical gifts.
While rumors continue to circulate about whether their relationship is on the rocks, when you take a look at the details of their relationship, there's no denying that these two are seriously in love. Even though they're living very different lives than the rest of us, there's something really beautiful about the marriage and family they have built.
1. They both have multiple careers.
Kim's a reality TV star with such shows as Keeping up with the Kardashians (KUWTK), Kourtney & Kim Take New York, and Kourtney & Kim Take Miami. Kim is an actress, a socialite, author, photographer, businesswoman, model, and media influencer. Kim's estimated net worth is approximately $175 million dollars.
Kanye is a rapper, singer, producer, songwriter, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. He is one of the best-selling artists of all time and has an estimated net worth of approximately $145 million dollars.
And who can forget that time they starred in Kanye's video for "Bound 2". It was really... something.
2. Kanye was obsessed with his future wife ever since he saw a picture of her with Paris Hilton.
Kanye cast Kim as Princess Leia in a hip-hop puppet show called "Alligator Boots," which never took off, but they remained friendly. When he received the Kardashian family Christmas card, he drew himself in next to Kim. Kanye briefly considered getting into sports since she seemed to have a penchant for athletes.
3. Kanye tried to talk her out of marrying Kris Humphries.
When Kanye learned that Kim was marrying Kris Humphries, he bought his first cell phone so that he could call her and talk her out of marrying Kris.
4. The first real conversation Kim and Kanye had lasted over 8 straight hours.
5. She made the first move and contacted Kanye after her split from Kris Humphries.
Kanye flew her to Paris for a fashion show and they’ve been together ever since. Paris, known for being one of the most romantic cities on earth, was the perfect choice for a first date.
6. Kim confirmed they were dating via Twitter.
There's nothing as confirming as Twitter official.
7. After they had been dating for a while, Kanye and his personal stylist took over Kim’s closet.
Kim almost started crying when the stylist threw out a pair of shoes that Kim loved. Many people feel that the closet incident shows how controlling Kanye is but Kim seemed to appreciate it and often consults Kanye on her fashion choices.
8. Kanye’s idea of a good time is sitting in Kim’s closet and watching her experiment with new looks.
In an article in GQ, Kim said, "All my friends and sisters say, 'You guys are so perfect for each other. There's no one that would want to sit in your closet for hours with you and try on clothes.'" Fashion is important to both of them and Kim's evolving style seems to be vital for Kanye.
9. They got pregnant before they got engaged.
Which isn’t so outrageous but does demonstrate how quickly their relationship progressed once they got together. Kim gave birth to her first child with Kanye, daughter North West, on June 15, 2013. The couple was engaged a few months later on October 21st, Kim's 33rd birthday. The couple was married on May 24, 2014.
10. Kanye designed Kim's 15-karat engagement ring.
Only he could create a ring worthy enough to sit on Kim’s finger.
11. His marriage proposal was over-the-top.
Instead of getting down on one knee and proposing in a restaurant, Kanye rented out an an entire baseball stadium with a 50-piece orchestra that played Lana Del Rey’s "Young and Beautiful" and projected the words “PLEASE MARRY ME" on the screen.
12. They hosted a pre-wedding party in the Palace of Versailles.
They wanted to be wed in the Palace of Versailles but couldn't get permission to do so. Instead, they hosted a party there the night before the wedding which seems like the perfect compromise.
13. Kim and Kanye arrived by horse-drawn carriage.
14. They surprised their wedding guests by flying them all to Florence for the wedding.
Since Florence was where they conceived their first child, North West.
15. Kanye made some last-minute wedding decor changes himself.
It was reported that one hour before the wedding was scheduled to start, Kanye decided that the bar that had been installed for the receptions looked like “a bar from Texas” and took a saw and chopped it in half. He then requested two pieces of wood be nailed to the front of the bar. Upon viewing the results of his rapid remodeling, he said, “Now it’s art.”
16. His wedding gift to Kim was beyond extravagant.
Kanye’s wedding gift to his bride was a specially commissioned painting of her in a thong with "My Queen Kim" on the left side of the canvas and "Perfect B*tch" on the right.
17. Kanye is the king of grand gestures, especially if those grand gestures involve flowers.
For their first Valentine’s Day, Kanye sent Kim 1,000 red roses, and for her first Mother’s Day, he sent 2,000 white roses.
18. He once threw a birthday party for Kim and instructed the guests to come dressed as her.
Hopefully, Kim took this a flattering, not kind of psycho and alarming on her husband's part.
19. When Kim was still recovering from being robbed in Paris, Kanye made a compilation video using her childhood home movies.
A gift that is as thoughtful as it is truly priceless.
20. For one of Kanye’s birthdays, Kim rented out the massive Staples Center in LA.
It was so Kanye could play a game of basketball with his friends in the same place that the Los Angeles Lakers play.
21. For another of Kanye’s birthdays, she rented an entire island in the Bahamas!
22. Kim and Kanye have a “no gifts policy” for themselves and their children.
Kim told Allure, “We don’t do gifts. [Kanye and I] talk about it all the time, about not getting too much and trying to be as grounded and well-rounded as possible. I don’t like presents anymore.”
23. They celebrated their anniversary at IHOP.
Instead of dining at a hot new restaurant with a mile-long waiting list, Kim and Kanye celebrated their anniversary at IHOP. No one has confirmed if anyone had the Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity Pancakes.
24. At first, they weren't going to name their first child North.
The couple were just playing when they said that they were going to name their child North West, but when Anna Wintour and Pharrell said that they should, they decided to go for it. They briefly toyed with the idea of just calling their child “North” without a surname but that didn't go over well with anyone.
25. They carried out a sting operation to see which of their friends they could trust.
They wanted to see if any of their friends would sell the image of their child to the press, so they sent out a picture of another baby. Unfortunately, one of their friends took the bait and tried to sell the photo. There was a fake picture of North that went viral on the internet.
26. They never considered naming their second child, South.
Kim dismissed it as “the stupidest thing ever” and went in an entirely different direction by naming the child Saint.
27. The couple is expanding their family by using a surrogate.
Rumor has it that the surrogate is pregnant with more than one child. If so, the couple will have to pay $5,000 for each additional child.
28. Kim plans to run for mayor.
Future plans for the couple include Kim running for mayor of Glendale, California, and Kanye starting the first trillion-dollar company.
29. Kim and her famous family give generously to charity.
This includes donating $500,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief. Kanye has done much work as a humanitarian including the charity he founded with his late mother, The Donda West Foundation, whose goal is to reduce the number of kids dropping out of school.
30. Kanye has compared his and Kim’s relationship to Romeo and Juliet.
It isn't the best comparison. They’re not from feuding families, aren’t teenagers, don’t speak in iambic pentameter, and hopefully will live a long and happy life together.
Who knows what outrageous and stunning things Kim and Kanye will do next. At least they keep things interesting for each other and the public who is hungry for more.
Christine Schoenwald is a writer, performer, and teacher who loves writing and performing personal narratives. She's had pieces in The Los Angeles Times, Salon, Woman's Day, Purple Clover, Bustle, and is a regular contributor to Ravishly and YourTango. Check out her website or her Facebook page.