While many of us watched Ariana Madix‘s love life suddenly implode into the infamous Scandoval earlier this year, the Vanderpump Rules star has seemingly moved on from Tom Sandoval and found love with New York-based fitness coach and influencer, Daniel Wai. The pair first met in March 2023 at a mutual friend’s wedding in Mexico, and now they’re taking on other music festivals like NYC’s Gov Ball and catching flights on baecations to Chicago. Their budding romance is so cute, Vanderpump fans can’t help but flood their comments section with sweet messages and well wishes for Ariana. 🥹
If you’re wondering how Ariana and Daniel’s meet-cute went down, we’ve got you covered with a full timeline of their ‘ship below.
March 2023: Ariana and Daniel meet at a mutual friend’s wedding
According to a report by Entertainment Tonight, Ariana was moving on from her ex Tom Sandoval during a trip to Mexico. She hit it off with fitness coach Daniel Wai when they were introduced to each other at a mutual friend’s wedding in March 2023— shortly after she found out Tom had been cheating on her with Rachel Leviss.
“They met at a mutual friend’s wedding in Mexico. He’s a sweet guy,” an insider told the outlet.
April 2023: The pair cozy up at Coachella, though Ariana isn’t looking for anything “serious” yet
Ariana and Daniel were first spotted together at Coachella, where they cuddled up to each other, held hands, and shared some smooches. Daniel even posted adorable pics with Ariana to his Instagram Stories.
An anonymous source told People that despite their PDA-packed ‘Chella weekend, Ariana wasn’t looking for a “serious” relationship at the time.
“Ariana just got out of a long relationship, and isn’t jumping into anything serious,” the insider revealed. “What you’re seeing is a woman who is single and having fun.”
The couple was also seen at Celcius’ Oasis Vibe House during the festival, where they posed together for a group photo. (They’re in the top left corner, FYI.)
May 2023: Ariana tells friends she’s falling for Daniel
A new report from People reveals Ariana is falling for Daniel, despite her initial desire for a low-key fling. “Ariana’s been telling people in her circle that she’s falling in love with him,” an insider told the outlet. “They met in Mexico at a mutual friend’s wedding, shortly after Scandoval broke. At first, it looked like just a light rebound fling, but they have a special bond. Even though he lives in New York City, they’ve been able to make it work.”
“It’s happening faster than she thought but he treats her well, they’re having fun, and she’s happy to be moving on to this next chapter with such an incredible guy,” the source added.
Aside from hitting the town in NYC with Daniel, Ariana was also soft launching her relationship with him by posting cute AF pics in Instagram photo dumps:
June 2023: Daniel surprises Ariana with a trip to Gov Ball in NYC
Shortly after the Vanderpump Rules reunion special, Ariana made her way to the Governor’s Ball music festival in New York thanks to a special surprise from her new beau. Daniel posted a sweet snap to Instagram, where he revealed he surprised the reality star with a trip.
“She thought she was coming here for a dinner, but got surprised by @bradxbrad on the plane,” he wrote in his caption. These two!! 🥰
Ariana also posted a Gov Ball recap, where she and Daniel were seen jamming out to performances by Lil Nas X, Kendrick Lamar, and Sofi Tukker.
Then, when it came time for Ariana’s birthday on the 26th, Daniel went above and beyond to make the birthday girl feel special. Per People, he cooked a lunchtime BBQ spread for Ariana and her friends before they hit up a club and popped bottles of champagne. Daniel also treated her to a candlelit concert from the Orchid Quartet and posted an Instagram Story of Ariana, writing, “Happy birthday to the kindest and most generous woman I know @arianamadix.”
Okay, NBD, Daniel just provided a ~prime~ example of “if he wanted to, he would.” 😭
July 2023: The pair celebrates the 4th of July with a friend
Shortly after Ariana’s b-day festivities, the couple spent the Fourth of July with one of their friends at Elephante in Santa Monica. Ofc, they posted about it on the ‘gram.
August 2023: Ariana and Daniel take a baecation to Chicago
Ariana and Daniel didn’t let a little rain damper their mood during a Chicago getaway. The couple was all smiles in front of The Bean in Millennium Park, where they sported matching gray and white Nike sneakers. 🥰
“Beans beans the musical fruit 🫘,” Ariana wrote in her caption, jokingly referring to the iconic reflective art piece.
Aaaand that’s everything on these two! Check back for the latest on their adorable ‘ship as it continues to blossom.
Assistant News Editor
Sam is an assistant news editor at Cosmo, covering all things pop culture, entertainment, and celebrity news. She previously covered those same topics along with health, lifestyle, and beauty at Seventeen. When she isn’t draping her cheeks in blush, you can probably find her live-tweeting awards shows or making SwiftToks.
