Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens.Photo:Carmen Mandato/Getty

Simone Biles Reveals 3 Huge Bouquets of Flowers from Husband Jonathan Owens

Carmen Mandato/Getty

Simone Bilessaysher weddingwas sweeter than a gold-medal finish at theOlympics.

In a new interview withVanity Fair, the 26-year-old gymnast revealed that tying the knot with her husband, NFL playerJonathan Owens, in April 2023 was an unforgettable experience from start to finish.

So unforgettable, she said, that it even managed to surpass her first appearance at the Olympics in 2016, when she scooped up four gold medals including the individual all-around and team titles.

“I’ve never had so much fun in my life,” Biles recalled of her nuptials. “I was 19 when I won my first Olympics, and I was like, ‘How am I supposed to top this?’ My wedding topped it."

“We could have had so many more people,” Biles explained. “But we really wanted to make it as intimate and as special as possible.”

Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens.SImone Biles/Instagram

SImone Biles Appears to Respond to Backlash over Husband Jonathan Owens Comments: ‘Are Y’all Done Yet?'

SImone Biles/Instagram

While it wasn’t always easy, she said she and the NFL star trimmed their guest list down to their closest circle of family and friends.

Unfortunately for Biles, her post-wedding glow was short-lived, as Owens had to fly to Green Bay, Wisconsin, immediately afterwards to join the Packers. “I cried a lot,” she recalled of adjusting totheir long-distance marriage.

“We’re both so busy, so it’s not like I’m sitting [around] waiting for him to come home, but it’s just hard,” she continued.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens.Simone Biles/Instagram

Simone Biles Shares Sweet Photos of Her Sideline Kiss with Husband Jonathan Owens at His Game

Simone Biles/Instagram

Biles also opened up toVanity Fairabout meeting Owens on the dating app Raya when a friend encouraged her to join after a breakup. Although she was initially reluctant — “My guard went straight up when she saiddating site,” she recalled—she wound up matching with her future husband in her very first week on the app.

“The second week I met him in person, and the rest is history,” she said. “We were hooked.”

Owens toldVanity Fairthat he immediately noticed Biles’ laugh. “It was just contagious,” he explained. “We could talk all day and we’d stayed up late, and there just wasn’t an awkward moment.”

Months after their wedding, in October 2023, Biles shared that marrying Owens had completelyshifted her perspective on life.

“Gymnastics is just something I get to come in and have the privilege of doing,” she said ontheTodayshow.

“I don’t feel like it’s the end all be all anymore, as before I kind of felt like that. I get to go home to my husband, to my dogs, to my house and all of the things. So it feels really good.”

source: people.com