It has been 12 months since Fort Belvedere in Florence, Italy, was on lockdown for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's star-studded wedding. 

On 24 May,  2014, the reality star looked every inch the fairytale bride in her lace fishtail Givenchy gown as she strutted down the aisle to greet her rapper beau, 37, in front of a gigantic wall of white flowers.

The day was especially poignant for the American hit maker as he has confessed that he dreamed of making 34-year-old Kim his wife from the moment they met in 2004.

Kanye struggled to hide his lust for socialite Kim for eight years - he referenced her in his lyrics, dated women who looked similar to her and grew close to her family, the Kardashian-Jenner clan. 

He was unashamedly public about his affections, confessing to US Vogue in April 2014: 'Basically, you know, she was always my favourite girl. 

'There was no girl in the world that could pull me away from her.'

But capturing Kim's heart was quite a challenge for Kanye - a feat that lasted nearly a decade. 

When the couple first met, she was married to her first husband, songwriter Damon Thomas so while a friendship blossomed, romance was very much off the cards. 

Reminiscing about their first encounter, Kim recently told Access Hollywood: 'When I first met [Kanye], we worked on a project together and there was definitely a spark, but we were in other relationships and we kept our distance.'


True love? Rapper Kanye West tried to win his now-wife Kim Kardashian's heart for nearly a decade 

The A-list pair welcomed daughter North 'Nori' West in June 2013, just a year after ousting their relationship
In his critically-acclaimed album The College Dropout, released that year, Kanye is believed to allude to Kim in a number of the tracks and reference her in his music videos by using curvaceous models. 

In September 2007 the pals ran into each other at the store opening of fashion brand Intermix in Beverly Hills. 

Kanye was seeing designer Alexis Phifer at the time while Kim was loved up with American football player Reggie Bush. 

But in the aftermath of the death of his mother Donda West in 2007, Kanye broke up with Alexis in 2008, began his first forays into fashion design and started dating model Amber Rose.

With her voluptuous bottom, killer pout and chiselled cheekbones, Amber's look was similar to Kim's, along with her sphinx-like expression when posing for photographers.  

Kim and Kanye bumped into each other again at the Y-3 show in New York City in February 2009. 


Kanye West cosied up to socialite Kim Kardashian at the grand opening of Intermix in, what is thought to be their first photo together, in 2007 in Los Angeles

Kim with the rapper and his fiancee at the time, Alexis Phifer, at the Intermix opening in Beverly Hills 

Kanye West, Milla Jovovich, Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush attend the Y-3 fashion show in New York 
The pair were both given prime front row seating but while Kim cuddled up to Reggie, Kanye looked uncomfortable on his own next to model Milla Jovovich who was sandwiched between them.  

Kim parted ways with Reggie in 2010 and Kanye cooled things off with Amber.

Amber slammed Kim calling her a 'homewrecker' and claimed that her then-boyfriend Kanye had been seeing the TV star behind her back. 

'Kim is one of the main reasons why me and Kanye are not together. She's a homewrecker,' Amber told Star magazine.

'They were both cheating. They were both cheating on me and Reggie with each other.'

As the Amber versus Kim feud played out in the press, Kanye set his sights on capturing Kim's heart.  

The pair looked happy during a talk at her NYC DASH store on October 4 and then her 30th birthday party aboard a yacht in the Manhattan harbour on October 21. 

However, Kim toyed with Kanye's emotions by hooking up with another football player, Mike Austin.  

In December 2010 when the musician was on hand to help Kim with her music video Jam (Turn It Up), mum Kris snapped at him for checking out her daughter's famous derriere by bluntly saying, 'Don't be looking at her a**'. 

The songwriter snapped back: 'I've never seen it actually.' 


Kim gives the rapper a hug after he collaborates with her on her music video for Jam (Turn It Up)

Kanye popped the question to Kim with a giant diamond on her 33rd birthday in October 2013
The Atlanta, Georgia-native had to then watch the Kardashian Kollection designer then briefly date Halle Berry's ex Gabriel Aubry. 

She dumped him for basketball player Kris Humphries.

It seemed that Kim may be off the market for good when she wed Kris in a lavish ceremony in August 2011. 

That marriage famously crumbled on Halloween - just 72 days after they'd made their vows in a huge wedding and TV special.

Following the breakdown of her marriage, Kim decided to get in touch with Kanye once and for all.

Speaking on Access Hollywood, she recently said: 'I think it was six months after I was newly single in like 2012, I was like why not? Like, what am I waiting for?

'I called [Kanye] because I'm sure it was really hurtful that I got married and, even though it's not like we communicated all the time, I knew what he was thinking.'

Despite years of waiting for Kim to be a free agent again, he appeared overjoyed to hear from her.


The couple tied the knot in Italy in May 2014 with daughter North as the guest of honour

The pair celebrated bagging the coveted Vogue US cover with Kim calling it a 'dream'

The joyous newlyweds leave their wedding ceremony hand-in-hand to rapturous applause
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Congrats to them oo