Vanessa Minnillo: Nick Lachey's 'Got My Back'

Vanessa Minnillo hasn't chosen her wedding cake and isn't dishing on the kind of dress she wants. But she is sure about one thing ahead of her marriage to Nick Lachey.

"The best part is that you know someone has your back, no matter what," Minnillo, 30, told PEOPLE at a youth-mentoring event in Silver Spring, Md., recently. "It's not that I didn't know that before – I kind of teetered on it – but now I know for sure that no matter what, this guy's got my back."

She added: "There's nothing we can't work out, and there's nothing we can't talk through. There's no obstacle we can't overcome, and that's a beautiful, comforting thought."

Not wanting to tip off Lachey, 37, about her bridal look, Minnillo demurred when asked about her gown. But when it comes to the cake, she admitted she loves "all flavors" and "might have to do different layers and different flavors."

And will her beloved Yorkiepoo, Wookie, be the ring bearer? "If he is, it's going to take a lot of training and discipline, because right now he's just too shy," she said. "He'd panic down the aisle and probably run off with the rings. Maybe I should get started on that, right?"

Credit: PEOPLE (Arnesa A. Howell)

Vanessa: Nick Wants A "Tailgate" Wedding

Some brides-to-be love planning their big day, but Vanessa Minnillo's walk down the aisle has her flashing back to high school.

"I always feel irresponsible, like I'm unprepared for my test at school," the actress tells Rachael Ray on her show airing next Monday. "We have nothing yet, except for the wedding planner."

Still, Minnillo, 30, isn't about to turn over the reins to hubby-to-be Nick Lachey, 37, a notorious fan of Cincinnati sports teams.

"If I let Nick plan the wedding it'll be around some sporting event," she said. "We'll have a big old tailgate party with Miller Light! We'll have University of Cincinnati Bearcats running around!"

Wedding aesthetics aside, Minnillo tells Ray that she was "floored" when the Sing Off host finally got down on one-knee and proposed in November after four years of dating.

"Since we've been together for so long every time he asked me to do something romantic, I thought it might be the moment," she says. "So even if I didn't want to, he'd be like 'Baby let's go watch the sunset,' I'm like, 'okay.' Just in case it was. Nothing. 'Baby let's go take a hike.' Nothing. This went on for like a year! But I don't think you're ever prepared for the moment."

One moment, Minillo's really not ready for? Having kids.

"Let's do it one chapter at a time, why rush?" she says. "We have the rest of our lives. If you have children, once they're there, they're there. You can't say, 'I don't think I want to deal with you today.' No, they're there!"

Credit: Us Magazine

Vanessa Minnillo & Nick Lachey: Retro Partiers

Getting all dressed up for a special occasion, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo went back in time as they partied it up at Beso in Los Angeles on Saturday night (March 12).

The engaged couple happened to be partaking in the birthday festivities for Miss Minnillo's gal pal Jenn Birmingham Lee, as Vanessa tweeted, "Getting ready for my bestie's bday party. Nick is going 70's & I'm "totally 80's."

Credit: Celebrity Gossip

Nick Lachey & Vanessa Minnillo: Ready for Baby?

Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lachey have yet to set a wedding date — but that doesn’t mean a baby in 2011 is out of the question.

“Things happen,” Minnillo, 30, tells PEOPLE. “And if a blessing comes before the wedding then that’s exactly what it is, [a blessing].”

Since getting engaged to The Sing-Off host Nick Lachey, 36, last November, Minillo has been busy filming guest spots on 30 Rock and Hawaii 5-0, airing in February. But her work schedule won’t keep her from eventually becoming a mom.

“I would love to have children and work,” she explains. “I definitely don’t want it to slow me down. I’m always going to be, ‘Go, go, go.’ And I’m going to be pregnant, fat and happy through it all.”

Who does Minnillo look to as a role-model mom? None other than her fellow bride-to-be Reese Witherspoon.

“I think she’s amazing. She’s a strong woman who can manage her two babies and still be a talented actress as well an ambassador for her causes,” Minnillo says of Witherspoon. “She’s done it all, and she’s done it all with grace and [shown] it is possible.”

Credit: People

Jessica Simpson & Eric Johnson Are Engaged!

Jessica Simpson is off the market!

Sources confirm to Us Magazine that the singer, 30, became engaged to beau Eric Johnson on Thursday, just days after Us broke the news that her ex-husband, Nick Lachey, popped the question to Vanessa Minnillo, his love of nearly five years. Simpson and Lachey, 37, split in 2005, after three years of marriage.

On Saturday, Simpson flashed a sizable ring on her left hand during an appearance at Dillard's at Oak Park Mall in Kansas City.

The Texas native began dating the former NFL player in May while he was estranged from his first wife, stylist Keri Johnson; their divorce was finalized five months later.

Though Ashlee Simpson-Wentz recently told Us that her sister "is happy, so we're all really happy," sources insist that most of Simpson's friends are concerned about Johnson's motives for dating the singer.

"Eric was never that successful in the NFL, but he's always wanted the celebrity lifestyle," a source told Us in October. "Her friends do not trust him."

Credit: Us Magazine

Jessica Simpson 'Happy' For Nick Lachey

Jessica Simpson is wishing ex-husband Nick Lachey all the best in his second shot at marriage.

"I am extremely, extremely happy for him," the singer-actress, 30, told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show Thursday. "I couldn't be more happy for Nick."

Simpson dismissed rumors that she wasn't thrilled to hear that Lachey, 37, got engaged this month to girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo, 30.

"I don't know where all those rumors came from," she said. "My mom actually called me and told me that everybody was saying that I was 'saddened.' And I was just in complete shock."

She added: "You know, our relationship was over a really long time ago, so it would be nice if everybody could move on with us and really just celebrate the love between him and Vanessa. I do, and I wish them nothing but the best."

Simpson and Lachey split in 2005 after three years of marriage. Lachey and Minnillo began dating the following year.

Credit: People

Vanessa Minnillo: Poolside With Nick Lachey

Fresh off of their joyous engagement news, Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lachey have been living the good life in Mexico over the past few days.

The former Miss Teen USA looked fabulous in an itsy-bitsy bikini as she showed off her diamond ring while soaking up the south of the border sunshine with her former 98 Degrees singer beau and a few friends.

Credit: Celebrity Gossip

Vanessa Minnillo Shows Off Engagement Ring

Yes, diamonds really are a girl's best friend!

A beaming Vanessa Minnillo proudly showed off her gorgeous engagement ring Thursday in Mexico where she's vacationing with fiance Nick Lachey and some pals.

The ring is an Asscher-cut diamond with baguettes from Bader & Garrin.

"We're excited and incredibly happy about our engagement and we look forward to a wonderful future together," the couple announced in a joint statement after word leaked of their impending nuptials.

Lachey, 36, popped the question in traditional form to Minnillo, 29, last Thursday.

On his Twitter page Friday, Lachey wrote: I popped the question on bended knee. I do a lot of squats so my knees are very strong.

The couple began dating in 2006, a year after he split from wife Jessica Simpson.

Lachey and Minnillo broke up for a while last year before reuniting.

No wedding date has been announced.

Interesting fact: Lachey and Minnillo share the same birthday; on Tuesday, November 9th, she turns 30 while he turns 37.

Credit: Radar Online

Nick Lachey & Vanessa Minnillo Are Engaged!

Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo are engaged, reps for both stars tell Us Magazine exclusively.

"We're excited and incredibly happy about our engagement and we look forward to a wonderful future together," the couple tells Us in a statement.

"They're so happy, doing great," a source adds. "Thrilled about it."

According to another source, Lachey proposed with an Asscher-cut diamond with baguettes from Bader & Garrin.

"I popped the question on bended knee," Lachey tweeted Thursday. "I do a lot of squats so my knees are very strong."

The two began dating in 2006, following his highly-publicized divorce from Jessica Simpson.

Though they briefly split last summer, they got back together a short time later.

The True Beauty host recently told Parade their relationship has lasted all this time because they openly communicate.

"You have to talk through everything," she said. "We talk daily about things that upset us. It's about having a sounding board because if you hold in all your thoughts, dreams, anger and anxiety than you're only hurting yourself."

She said they have no plans to do a reality show a la MTV's Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, which caused strain in Lachey's relationship with Simpson, 30.

Chatting on Good Day Philadelphia last year, the Sing-Off host -- whose show was just renewed for a second season -- said he was "happy" with Minnillo, whom he described as "a very smart girl. She's far smarter than I!"

Lachey and Minnillo have another reason to celebrate: They both have birthdays Nov. 9.

Lachey will be 37; Minnillo, 30.

Credit: Us Magazine

Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey: Red-O Reunion

Enjoying some quality time together, Jessica Simpson and her boyfriend Eric Johnson were spotted out to dinner in West Hollywood last night (October 21).

The “Come On Over” singer and her handsome beau made their exit from Red-O restaurant, the same eatery that Jess’ ex-husband Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo were at.

Credit: Celebrity Gossip