Why Peter Facinelli Already Calls Lily Anne Harrison His “Wife” —Even Without The Wedding

Peter Facinelli and Lily Anne Harrison may not have had their wedding yet, but to him, they’re already husband and wife.

The Twilight star, 51, got engaged to Lily, 36, during a dreamy holiday getaway to Mexico in 2020. But after five years, the couple still hasn’t officially tied the knot. Not that it really matters to Peter.

“I call her my wife. I treat her like my wife,” he said at the New York premiere of The Unbreakable Boy on February 19. “So we’ll get to the paper and the party eventually.”

The reason for the delay? Life has been beautifully busy. Peter and Lily became parents to their son, Jack, in September 2022, and right now, that’s their focus.

“…Right now, we’re just enjoying parenthood, being partners,” Peter explained, “and when we get a minute we’ll throw a party and make it official.”

Wedding planning originally took a backseat due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now, with a toddler to chase after, it’s been pushed further down the list. But Peter has no problem leaving the details to Lily when the time comes.

“I’m sure I’d like to be a part of it,” he told PEOPLE back in 2021, “but at the end of the day, I think it’s more important to me that she’s happy and it’s her special day.” 

His ideal ceremony? “I’d like to get married on a beach somewhere.”

Peter, who was previously married to Beverly Hills, 90210 star Jennie Garth for 11 years, shares three daughters — 27-year-old Luca, 22-year-old Lola, and 18-year-old Fiona — with his ex-wife. Despite their past, Peter and Jennie have worked hard to co-parent in a positive way.

“What Peter and I ultimately wanted more than anything was to have our friendship back and be able to co-parent in a healthier way because we had been doing it all wrong for a while,” Jennie told PEOPLE in July 2024. 

Their bond is so strong that when wildfires threatened Los Angeles recently, Jennie and her husband, Dave Abrams, even took shelter at Peter’s home.

For now, Peter and Lily are happy with their love story just as it is. When the time is right, they’ll throw that big party — but in their hearts, they already have everything that truly matters.