Matt and Lucy Damon had a meet-cute worthy of a Hollywood rom-com as they celebrate 17 years of marriage

The night apparently ended with a lot of money for Lucy as she noted, “He made me a ton of money in tips that night, because of course everyone wanted to go and see him. So it turned into a really fun night and then 15 years later here we are!” Eventually, in 2005, the two got married at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau before having a ceremony with their family and friends. During the casual civil ceremony, Matt and Lucy also reportedly gave each other bands with hidden yet beautiful meaning.

In 2017 when the 52-year-old actor was asked by Parade which “small” thing “means a great deal to you,” he replied, “My wedding ring. My grandmother gave my mother her ring in her will. My grandfather didn’t have a lot of money; they were kind of children of the Depression, and the ring he gave her had these tiny, tiny little diamonds in them. They weren’t quality diamonds; it was what he could afford. But the marriage lasted.”

“They were married for over 60 years. It wasn’t about the ring; it was about the marriage. So when I told my mother that I was marrying Lucy, she gave me that ring and there were these six little diamonds. We took three of them and we put them on the inside of my band, and then we took three and we put them on the inside of her band. So they’re not visible, but we’re hopefully carrying the best part of that union with us,” he explained.

The marriage of Matt and his Argentinain wife was, however, not the union of them only. Lucy also had a daughter named Alexia, with an ex-partner, Arbello Barroso, whom the ‘Good Will Hunting’ star adopted as his own. The couple also went on to welcome three beautiful daughters of their own as well — Isabella was born in 2006, Gia Zavala in 2008 and in 2010, the youngest Stella came.

As per reports, ‘The Martian’ actor loved to be around his girls as he told Today in 2012, “I never expected to be surrounded by girls,  but it’s great. ...You never know which way life’s going to take you. I’m learning so much, not the least of which is how much smarter girls are. I operated under the assumption that us guys had a chance, but I realized when I was completely wrapped around my 2-year-old’s finger, and she knew it. If they can do that to us at 2 years old, when they’re fully grown we really don’t stand a chance.”

But despite all the busy schedule and fatherhood, Matt never reportedly stops thinking about Lucy. He had once said as reported by Us Weekly, “Lucy and the girls can definitely bring me to my knees.” He also added, “I wish I were better because my wife deserves somebody who surprises her with a gift or flowers or some wonderful idea . . . .I've never been good at that, and she's really good at it, which makes me feel even more like sh-t.”