How Vanessa Hudgens Knew Cole Tucker Was the One to Marry

Vanessa Hudgens is loving the new status quo.

The actress admitted she feels truly different after getting engaged to baseball player Cole Tucker about two months ago. 

"It feels amazing," Vanessa said on Hoda & Jenna on April 14. "I was talking about this with Cole, my partner. People are always like ‘Does it feel different?'"

Her response? "You know, it actually does," the High School Musical alum shared. "There's like a sense of security and you feel so safe. It's the best thing ever. I love being a fiancée."

Vanessa, 34, even offered proof that she simply "knew" Cole was the one soon after meeting him. 

"After our first weekend together, I called my sister [Stella], and I was like, ‘I think I just found my future husband,'" she recalled. "The foresight!"

One of the pair's first dates together was a romantic dinner outside under the stars at Pace in Laurel Canyon, Calif. in November 2020. Even then, they were smitten. 

"They shared wine and food and had a great two-hour meal," a source told E! News at the time. "Vanessa was giddy with laughter. She was looking over at Cole and couldn't contain her smile." 

And Vanessa wasn't the only one who just knew right away. 

Cole, 26, literally manifested his romance with Vanessa while he was still a student. Back in 2012, he tweeted, "In search of: A girl who's down to watch High School Musical with me and scratch my back."

More than 10 years later, he's now engaged to Gabriella Montez herself.

"I know, literally it's so funny," Vanessa told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager of her man's decade-old tweet. "Crazy." 

Get a look at her massive engagement ring here.

(E! and Hoda & Jenna are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)