Vanessa Hudgens Reveals the Most Challenging Part of Planning Her Wedding to Cole Tucker

It’s been about three months since the news broke that Vanessa Hudgens is engaged to professional baseball player Cole Tucker, and the High School Musical alum is already feeling the pressure that comes along with planning a wedding. On May 8, 2023, the actress opened up to host Drew Barrymore on The Drew Barrymore Show about the process. When Barrymore asked how wedding planning is going, Hudgens admitted, “It’s hard.” There’s one aspect that has been the most challenging for The Princess Switch star. “I don’t know, finding a venue is really tough,” she reveals. “I kind of just want to elope. I really…I’m lost.”

Hudgens explained that Tucker doesn’t have a strong preference for how they decide to tie the knot. “I mean, he just wants to get married to me,” Hudgens shares. “He’s like, ‘Whatever you want, babe.’” Earlier on in the conversation, the host gushed about how well Tucker treats Hudgens. “You got engaged, and he’s so nice to you and he so gets you,” Barrymore says. The actress agreed with Barrymore’s observation. “I know,” she replies. “He so gets me.” Barrymore continued to list all of Tucker’s admirable qualities. “He’s so nice to you, and he just appreciates you,” she exclaims. “And he seems to see you for who you really are and just appreciates and loves you. That does it for me.”

On February 2, 2023, TMZ reported that Tucker popped the question. According to the report, the baseball star proposed at the end of 2022. About a week later, the duo confirmed the news themselves with a joint Instagram post. “YES. We couldn’t be happier 🤍,” the caption said. Along with their announcement, the pair uploaded a photo of themselves embracing one another in Paris at nighttime, while Hudgens is holding up the ring finger on her left hand. The second photo shows a close-up of the bride-to-be’s engagement ring set against a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. According to Mike Fried, CEO of The Diamond Pro, the sparkler is an oval-cut diamond set on a thing yellow gold band that he estimated to be seven carats and cost about $250,000, Hello reports. 

The Second Act actress and the professional athlete first sparked dating rumors in November 2020 while holding hands in Los Angeles. Six months later, Hudgens appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show and shared the details about how she met Tucker. According to the actress, the two of them were on a Zoom meditation call, and Hudgens was the first to initiate the conversation. “I get on the Zoom, and I’m like, ‘Who is that?’” she recounted. “I found him, and we started talking. If I want something or someone, I’m going after them. I fully just slid into his DMs and was like, ‘Hey, it was nice to meet you.’ So, I think there is no shame in making the first move.”

On February 14, 2021, Hudgens made her relationship with Tucker Instagram official in honor of Valentine’s Day. “It’s you, it’s me, it’s us,” she wrote. She also shared a photo of the two of them locking lips. Two weeks later, the MLB plater opened up about his relationship with Hudgens. “I got a girlfriend, and she’s cool,” he shared during a spring training interview. “She’s awesome. I love her, but I don’t want it to be, ‘Oh, Cole’s dating Vanessa.’ I don’t want to be treated any differently than Mitch [Keller] having his wife down, or Ke’Bryan [Hayes] having his girlfriend come down. She’s great. She’ll be around. You will see her, but you saw the headline. It is what it is.” Since then, the couple has kept their relationship private for the most part, but Hudgens occasionally posts about her partnership on social media, whether it's supporting Tucker's games or enjoying couple getaways.