Vera Wang and Arthur Becker Split: Couple End 23-year Marriage

Famous wedding dress designer, Vera Wang has decided to call it quits on her marriage after almost 23-years. According to her rep., Wang is officially separated from her husband, Arthur Becker. The announcement of the divorce comes as a shock to many, because the couple was expected to celebrate their 23 wedding anniversary in two weeks.

The president of Ms Wang's company, Mario Grauso, said in a statement, "Vera Wang and Arthur Becker have mutually and amicably agreed to separate. They remain devoted parents to their two daughters."

Wang, 63, got married to Becker when she was 39, who at the time was a computer executive who has become progressively involved with the Vera Wang brand over the years. With his help, Wang was able to turn her small Upper-East Side bridal shop into a world-wide multimillion-dollar business. According to WWD, her estranged husband was very hands on and became more involved with the day-to-day operations of the business in recent years.

The couple got engaged on a trip to Hawaii in 1988, and got married the following year at the Hotel Pierre, in 1989. The pair has two daughters, Cecilia and Josephine.

In the past, Wang has opened up about her marriage, saying she took advice from fellow fashion designers including Ralph Lauren, who she met while being design director for Ralph Lauren women's accessories and at-home wear.

In 2006, Wang labeled her marriage as an astonishment to New York magazine.

"I was the girl who nobody thought would ever get married," said Wang. " I was going to be a fashion nun the rest of my life. There are generations of them, those fashion nuns, living, eating, breathing clothes. But Ralph said, 'Get yourself a husband and a family.'"

He wasn't the only one urging the up-and-coming fashion designer to jump the broom.

Anna Wintour told her "You have got to get a family going here. You've been single for three decades now."

With the encouragement of her friends, she married her husband. She went on telling the magazine that "There are days I'm not happy I did it, but there are days I'm thrilled - I mean, he has always understood my nature, which is that it's always about product."