Mariska Hargitay Evokes Wedding Dance Memory With Peter Hermann For 19th Anniversary

Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann, who walked down the aisle on August 28, 2004, set aside time to celebrate their 19th wedding anniversary.

The couple's relationship has lingered for an impressive time since they first met on the "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" set in 2001, where Hargitay still stars as Detective Olivia Benson. They are nearly two decades into their union with three children, and it is a true testament to the power of love. 

On Monday, which coincides with the lovebirds' wedding anniversary, the 59-year-old actress celebrated another year of unwavering commitment, companionship, and laughter with the love of her life.

The doting wife posted a sentimental throwback picture from her and the "Younger" actor's 2004 wedding day to celebrate 19 years together. In the photo, the pair are hand in hand, dancing, and Hermann is looking at Hargitay, smiling.

The "Baywatch" actress's hair is perfectly styled, flattering her off-shoulder wedding gown. At the same time, the pink tie the 56-year-old actor wore could not be missed either. In the caption, Hargitay wrote, "19 years. Best dance of my life. Only dance of my life. Photo by @laraporzak." 

The post drew compliments from excited fans like this person that commented, "No [because] you guys are literally the cutest couple ever. Idc if I misused the word literally. ITS TRUE." A second fan wrote, "Happy Anniversary ❤️ and wishing you both many more years of happiness together 💕." 

"Oh, I love you both the most," a third added, and another replied, "God bless you both. Fabulous wedding. Divine couple." A fifth typed, "Aw, I've been waiting for this post! 😭 😍 Happy anniversary to my favourite couple! Wishing you many more years filled with lots of love, joy & happiness ❤️ ❤️ #Petska."

The mother-of-three got similar reactions from her fans when she celebrated their 18th anniversary with some vintage snaps. Hargitay and Hermann were all smiles in the first photo as the "Blue Bloods" actor embraced his bride at their 2004 wedding reception. 

However, the second slide was a more recent image of the sweethearts cuddling together while enjoying a boat ride on a seemingly sunny day. While the colors of their clothes are hard to discern, the pair both sported sunglasses and the "Duane Incarnate" actor added a baseball cap. 

Hargitay's straightforward caption for the post read, "Eighteen years. Grateful. In love. Together." The update garnered hundreds of thousands of likes and an influx of comments from excited fans.

One person wrote, "Happy anniversary! Wishing you both many, many, many more years of love, happiness, and adventure [four red heart emojis]." A second fan said, "If there is such thing as love, you both are the proof. Congratulations. And much laughter and joy. For ever." "I'm so glad you found each other," a third shared, and another declared their gladness that the pair found each other.

While the pair have "Law & Order: SVU" to credit for their meeting, it was not until Hermann asked Hargitay to accompany him to church for a date, shortly after filming wrapped, that they started dating. Narrating their first date the actress said:

"We went to church together, and it was like getting hit with a lightning bolt. I just started sobbing. Peter thought I was crying because I was so moved by the service. No, it was because I was just overwhelmed, realizing he was the one."

After dating for two years, they said their vows in Santa Barbara in 2004 and welcomed three children: Amaya, 12, August, 17, and Andrew, 12. "We got married, and we knew that it was going to be good," the "Wiseguy" actress told PEOPLE in 2019 before adding, "We sort of knew that we found the right one." 

Hermann recalled that he decided to get hitched after witnessing the warmth surrounding Hargitay on her 40th birthday. August Miklos Friedrich, the couple's first child, was born on June 28, 2008. They expanded their family by adopting Amaya Josephine—April 2011— and Andrew Nicolas— October 2011— as babies.

The "All-American Girl" actress said Amaya and Andrew bonded right away. "They'll lie in the crib together, and she'll hold his hand and put her arm around him," she said. "She's already so protective of him."