Nick Lachey & Vanessa Minnillo: Why We Picked Necker Island for Wedding

By Jennifer Garcia

07/18/2011 at 03:20 PM EDT

Wedding planning was relatively painless for Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lachey, who exchanged vows Friday evening at Sir Richard Branson's private island paradise in the British Virgin Islands.

And choosing the location came just as easily for the couple.

"We love to travel and we love Necker Island," Lachey, 37, tells PEOPLE. "We've vacationed there multiple times, and when we got engaged, we both immediately thought of the island as the perfect place to have our wedding."

PHOTOS: Inside Nick & Vanessa's Wedding Shower!

Adds Minnillo, 30: "We were on a boat, on vacation, passing the island and we both looked at each other and he said, 'Yes!' I was so glad he said what I was thinking. Nick saw it in my eyes."

The 74-acre island was the picture perfect backdrop for their intimate nuptials, which were filmed for a TLC special.

"We used a lot of what the island had," says Minnillo. "It was timeless, beautiful and romantic."

Courtesy Virgin Gotels Group Ltd