'Bond Forged By Fire,' Say Sheryl Sandberg and Tom Bernthal About Their Blended Family of 5 Children

Billionaire philanthropist Sheryl Sandberg announced in early 2020 on her Instagram account that she had gotten engaged to Tom Bernthal, founder and CEO of a consulting firm in Los Angeles, whom she met through her late husband's brother.

Two years later, Sandberg and Bernthal married in a western-themed wedding in Wyoming with their blended family of five children - two boys and three girls - and closest family and friends.

Bernthal took to Instagram to post a photo of them happily and newly married with the caption, "After both experiencing loss, @sherylsandberg and I weren't sure we would ever find love again. Over the last three years, we've merged our lives and blended our families. Our wedding today was a dream come true."

Both have been open about their relationship and their children from their first marriages. Bernthal described their wedding as not solely theirs but the "wedding of the seven of us," which includes the oneness of their children, two from him and three from Sandberg. The latter agreed, sharing that their entire family kept saying, "We're all getting married."

'They're our Kids...'

The MET COO and author of the bestselling book "Lean In" tragically lost her husband Dave Goldberg in 2015 while they were vacationing in Mexico. A sudden widow, she battled grief, sadness, and heartache in raising her two kids.

Sandberg opened her heart to People and said that no matter what she did, she felt the smallness of the family when she lost her husband. There was a strong sense of absence. She knows someone is missing.

Bernthal, on the other hand, was left with three children after going through a heartwrenching divorce that he did not want.

The two got a second chance in love when they met in 2019 through the brother of Sandberg's late husband. Indeed, love was sweeter the second time as they got engaged the year immediately after. The wedding was supposed to have happened earlier, but the pandemic hit. However, this did not stop the two from living together, knowing that as their relationship got serious, they also should get serious about blending their families.

So in the fall of 2020, the two families moved in together into Sandberg's home in Bay Area.

She revealed it wasn't a smooth journey, especially in the beginning. The two middle girls did not like each other at the start, and they dreaded the two staying in one room due to renovation.

However, the pandemic helped the two families, especially the children, to warm up together. Sandberg recalled that it was not just moving in together but also moving in and not leaving the house. Being just in the four corners of the house for a long time turned isolation into a bonding moment for everyone. After the pandemic, they were proud to say that their blended family had a "bond forged by fire."

"We went from this tiny, little family to this bustling household filled with energy, and I think it was a relief for them," Sandberg exclaimed. The two girls are now best friends and even FaceTime each other before going to sleep.

Sandberg recalled how one day, she and her fiance were talking about something, and she said, "My kids," to which Bernthal corrected her by saying, "Our kids," She was wowed at that moment, realizing he was serious about marriage and building a family together, and that she had finally found that "someone" who has been missing.

'The best part was celebrating with our Children'

A week before the wedding, the soon-to-be-married couple took their five children on an unplugged camping trip near Jackson, Wyoming, where they celebrated being one family who explored the wildlife and had all their meals together.

Sandberg proclaimed that the best part of the weekend, and their wedding, was being able to celebrate with their children, seeing them standing up there as siblings. Each gave a toast to the family during the program, not just about their relationship with their parents but also about their closeness with each other.

Bernthal, on the other hand, could not be any prouder being the father of Sandberg's children. He finds a real sense of purpose in doing what he can to help his now wife and children heal from their loss.

Sandberg can only be truly grateful that each of them can get to see and give love, despite each other's losses.