Joey King Has A Surprising Pick For Her “Most Romantic” Wedding Moment [Exclusive] (2024)

In September, Joey King and Steven Piet’s Mallorca wedding took over the Internet. When Vogue published a spread dedicated to the nuptials, Twitter and TikTok flooded with ooohs and ahs over every detail — the flowers, the venue, the dress (Oscar de la Renta), and the sneakers (Céline). As one fan put it, “Joey King and Steven Piet’s wedding was just the dreamiest.” The actor hadn’t been expecting this reaction, but she agrees with the consensus: “I was like, ‘Yeah, it was spectacular,’” she says. “‘You would’ve loved it, guys.’”

Still, going into her wedding, the 24-year-old wasn’t thinking about anything but the weekend ahead. “We didn’t make any decisions based on what people would think,” The Act star tells Elite Daily at NYC-based animal shelter Bidawee, where she’s discussing her partnership with Hill’s Pet Nutrition to raise awareness about pet adoption. “The wedding was very much us, so the fact that it resonated with people was really lovely.”

The only thing missing? Her two dogs, Jesse and Fable. “I really wish our dogs could have been there to see it,” King says before joking, “We showed them all photos.” Suffice it to say, if her real life was a movie, Must Love Dogs would be an apt title.

Here, King talks about her and Piet’s wedding weekend, how she stayed in the moment during the celebrations, and what she’d tell her younger self about relationships.

Elite Daily: You have two dogs at home, Jesse and Fable. Are you tempted to bring home another one today? Who, out of you and Steven, would be more likely to surprise the other with a new pet?

Joey King: Me. That’s kind of how it happened with Fable, who I met while I was filming in Romania. I called Steven and told him, “Hey, I really love this dog.” I offered to wait until he could come and meet her because I was so far from home. But he was like, “No, if you like her, I love her. We’ll take her.” It was very nice.

ED: Did you ever consider including your pets in your wedding?

JK: Yes, of course, but my dogs are freaks. Like I said, Fable came from Romania, so she had a long flight home. Since I got married in Mallorca, I thought Fable already had enough international travel for the first year as my dog.

My other dog, Jesse James, is 13 and anxious. I don’t know if flying would suit him, but I had a little vision of him in a mini tuxedo. Luckily, we had to legally get married in the States before we went to Mallorca, so we celebrated with them then.

I met Steven, I shook his hand, and I was pretty much in love with him. He had no idea, but I did. I was like, “I’m going to marry you.”

ED: Take me back to your and Steven’s first interaction on the set of The Act in 2018. What was that like? Was there a spark right away?

JK: Basically, I met Steven, I shook his hand, and I was pretty much in love with him. He had no idea, but I did. I was like, “I’m going to marry you.” I felt it immediately, but I kept it to myself for a while. About six months later, I finally admitted it to him.

ED: Do you think people generally have the intuition to know when they meet the one?

JK: I never really believed in that. I just got very lucky that he wound up being my person because, from our first meeting, I thought, “Oh, my God, is this really it? No, this doesn’t happen. This is ridiculous.” But that feeling stayed, it lasted, and I still feel that way about him.

ED: You mentioned making the first move. What’s your advice for people who are hoping to do the same with their crush?

JK: I’ve never really thought too much about it. If you feel that way about someone, you should say something. What’s the worst that can happen? You get rejected. Yeah, that sucks, but otherwise you’ll never know.

Some of my friends who are single and dating will ask me for advice, but when I give it, they’ll be like, “What are you, crazy? I’d never say that.” But I think you should just say what you mean and how you feel.

I’ve been rejected before, and that’s totally OK. It hurt a little bit, but obviously, I’m now married to someone because I was brave enough to tell him how I felt. It all worked out.

ED: Your wedding in Spain was ridiculously gorgeous. How did you feel in the months leading up to it?

JK: I knew that I wanted to be super present because people say the day goes by so quickly. Really, I wasn’t too stressed about anything. There are a lot of things you can plan, but it’s all out of your control at the end of the day.

ED: How did you stay in the moment throughout the wedding weekend?

JK: I remember when it started raining the day of, I texted Steven, “Time to lean in.” He responded, “Let’s lean into it, love it.” Then, right as guests arrived, the sun shone. I was like, “What the f*ck?” It was amazing. In a way, staying present was easy because we were swept up in the joy of it all.

ED: Does one moment from the wedding weekend stick out to you as the most memorable or romantic?

JK: When we jumped in the pool at the reception. It was not planned because we were already having a pool party the next day. I have never danced harder in my life than at my wedding. My husband and I got so hot, so sweaty. You know that heat where you can start to feel your heartbeat in your face? I was that hot.

I knew the photographers would want to know, so I told them we were going for it. Then, we just jumped in, and it was the most fun because so many people joined us in their fancy dresses. It was the most romantic moment to me. It was so spontaneous, and it felt like such a movie, honestly. I loved the camaraderie of it all.

ED: After your wedding, the Internet became kind of obsessed with all of it. Did you expect all of that fanfare?

JK: I knew my wedding was fricking amazing. So, I was so appreciative that people were loving it as much as I did, but I wasn’t expecting the response. I knew the Vogue article was happening — I participated in it — but I didn’t think about how people would react.

I see our relationship as my safe space. That’s a really good feeling.

ED: Speaking of the Vogue article, you shared that you played rock, paper, scissors to decide who would say their vows first. Is this a method you and Steven use to make everyday relationship decisions, too?

JK: We rock, paper, scissors pretty much every day. Who’s going to go pick up the Postmates that’s outside the door? Who’s going to go on the early morning dog walk? We usually do that one together, but if we’re both tired or hungover or something, we settle it with rock, paper, scissors.

For our vows, since we both wanted to go first, we decided, “Why don’t we just settle this with a good old-fashioned Joey and Steven classic?” It was funny. We actually tied a couple of times, like, “Oh, sh*t, we both got rock.” But that just made the ceremony feel lighthearted and fun.

ED: Now that you're happily married, what would you tell your younger self about dating and relationships?

JK: It gets better. Peacefulness exists. You can have a passionate, loving relationship that is peaceful and genuinely calming. When you’ve never really had that, you don’t realize it exists. It’s hard to even imagine it. It’s nice to know that it can happen.

We’ve been together long enough now that I see our relationship as my safe space. That’s a really good feeling.

ED: Any red flags you would tell people to watch out for?

JK: If they don’t like dogs, that’s a huge red flag. I can deal with an allergy, but you still have to love animals. If you don’t, you’re out.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.