Inside Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell’s Love Story: How They Met

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It was date night for couples at the 9th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony.

At the star-studded affair, Lily Collins and her husband Charlie McDowell joined Christina Aguilera and Matthew Rutler, Gal Gadot and Jaron Varsano, Miranda Kerr and Evan Spiegel, Katharine McPhee and David Foster, and Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher.

Charlie McDowell and Lily Collins in matching Celine looks at the 9th Annual Breakthrough Prize CeremonyCharlie McDowell and Lily Collins in matching Celine looks at the 9th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California on April 15, 2023 (Credit: Jean Paul / PAPIX / INSTARimages)

Styled by Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn, both Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell were decked out in Celine and Cartier jewelry.

The 34-year-old actress looked lovely in a black dress with an A-line silhouette and an embellished trim. It’s structured to look like a skirt suit and features a plunging neckline, long sleeves, and skirt pockets.

Lily Collins in a Celine dress with Cartier jewelsLily Collins in a Celine dress with Cartier jewels (Credit: Faye’s Vision / Cover Images)

Lily skipped the neck accessories, letting the dazzling trim on her dress do the talking. She opted, instead, for gorgeous Cartier drop earrings, which added a glam touch.

Lily Collins made sure to keep her beauty look simple so as not to compete with the dazzling Cartier jewels and the embellished trim on her Celine dressLily Collins made sure to keep her beauty look simple so as not to compete with the dazzling Cartier jewels and the embellished trim on her Celine dress (Credit: Jean Paul / PAPIX / INSTARimages)

She swept her hair up in a chic updo, with a choppy fringe and a few tendrils framing her stunning face.

The Emily in Paris star also wore sheer black tights with her matching pointy-toe court shoes to finish off her look.

Lily Collins wore a pair of black pointy-toe court shoes to round out her look that was all about understated eleganceLily Collins wore a pair of black pointy-toe court shoes to round out her look that was all about understated elegance (Credit: Faye’s Vision / Cover Images)

On her Instagram, Lily Collins posted about the event and recognized the amazing scientists, who were honored during the Breakthrough Prize Ceremony.

Her caption read: “So honored to be part of celebrating and supporting some of the most incredible minds who have changed the world through science. True heroes. Our minds were blown and our hearts deepened. Thank you for all you do for our present and our future…”

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Lily Collins (@lilyjcollins)

Meanwhile, Charlie McDowell stepped out in a classic black suit to match her stunning date’s outfit. The two of them kept close to each other while they posed for photographs on the red carpet.

Charlie McDowell wore a classic black suit from Celine to match with his stunning dateCharlie McDowell wore a classic black suit from Celine to match with his stunning date (Credit: Jean Paul / PAPIX / INSTARimages)

Love at First Sight: How They Met

As Lily Collins is the daughter of legendary rock star Phil Collins and actress Jill Tavelman, it’s understandable to wonder if Charlie McDowell also hails from a famous family.

You may think that he is the son of Four Weddings and a Funeral actress Andie MacDowell because of her last name, but actually, he’s the son of another Hollywood A-lister, Mary Steenburgen. The Oscar winner shares Charlie with ex-husband and A Clockwork Orange actor Malcolm McDowell.

Charlie is a 39-year-old filmmaker whose work includes The One I Love (2014), The Discovery (2017), and Windfall (2022), which stars Lily Collins.

Jason Segel, Lily Collins, and Jesse Plemons in the 2022 crime thriller film Windfall directed by Charlie McDowellJason Segel, Lily Collins, and Jesse Plemons in the 2022 crime thriller film Windfall, directed by Charlie McDowell (Credit: Netflix)

The couple met on the set of Charlie’s film, Gilded Rage (2019), and it was love at first sight for the actress.

Lily revealed on Live with Kelly and Ryan, “It was one of those situations where I knew the second I met him that I wanted to be his wife one day. So, it was just a matter of when, really.”

After working again on Windfall, Lily talked about the experience of working together on Vogue Australia: I thought it would be harder, I have to say. I thought it would be more stressful to have to work with him, but it honestly was really amazing and freeing.”

Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell met on the set of Gilded Rage and have been inseparable ever sinceLily Collins and Charlie McDowell met on the set of Gilded Rage and have been inseparable ever since (Credit: Jean Paul / PAPIX / INSTARimages)

“The industry is small, and both of our parents are also in the same industry. But we actually met randomly,” Lily Collins shared with Ellen DeGeneres.

The actress referred to her famous parents, Phil Collins and Jill Tavelman, while McDowell’s parents are Mary Steenburgen and Malcolm McDowell. “We were both surprised that we hadn’t met before. We’ve been in the same rooms several times but never really connected. It’s one of those cheesy but love at first sight things.”

Instagram Official

In August 2019, Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell finally became Instagram official with a photo of the couple posted on Lily’s account. On her caption, she wrote: “Always got your back…”

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Lily Collins (@lilyjcollins)

Since then, the To the Bone actress has been posting several snaps of Charlie and photos of them together on her Instagram account. The couple is pretty low-key, but these photographs gave a glimpse of their blossoming relationship.

They even decided to expand their little unit and adopted a dog together in December of that year. Named Redford, the adorable puppy is a rescue and a lovely addition to their growing family.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Oh, and an interesting fact is that baby Redford actually has his own Instagram account!

A Lifetime Together

In September 2020, amidst the chaos that the pandemic brought with it, Lily Collins shared some great news while on a virtual appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan.

The couple went on a road trip through New Mexico and finally got engaged. Lily revealed that Charlie planned the engagement (of course, as Charlie is a filmmaker, he captured the whole event with a self-timer) from the unforgettable trip to the beautiful ring.

On Instagram, Lily posted about her engagement and showed off her ring, which she explained to Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest that it’s a “rose-cut diamond” that her then-fiancé designed with Irene Neuwirth.

As for her caption, the sweet message read: “I’ve been waiting my lifetime for you and I can’t wait to spend our lifetime together…”

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Lily Collins (@lilyjcollins)

Each Other’s Forever

Two months after being engaged, the Tolkien star told Extra they were “totally soaking in being engaged and still celebrating with people that we can, in a way that is safe.”

She added, “Eight months of being together in quarantine has definitely felt like the most incredible way of getting to know someone.”

Well, almost exactly a year after their engagement, Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell finally tied the knot.

The ceremony was like straight out of a fairy tale. Lily and Charlie spent a beautiful September day in Dunton, Colorado, where they exchanged their vows and promised to be “each other’s forever.”

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Lily Collins (@lilyjcollins)

They’ve been married for two years and are still going strong.

Here’s hoping that Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell will spend a lifetime with each other and of course, their adorable puppy, Redford.