The path to love on Bachelor in Paradise is never an easy one. Mari Pepin-Solis and nudity enthusiast Kenny Braasch hit it off right away. After Mari told Kenny that she wanted to keep their options open, he went on a date with Demi Burnett.
The ladies had a tiff about it, and Mari dumped the birthday cake that Demi made for Kenny in a fire. Mari realized that Kenny was her man, and the two got back together.
During the Season 7 BIP finale, Kenny proposed to Mari. The couple talked to US Weekly about what their future looks like, and their wedding plans.
“So we haven’t set, like, a wedding date or anything yet, but I am going to be moving to Chicago in the next few months,” Mari shared. “So that’s our first step, and we did agree to get married in Puerto Rico, [which is] where I’m from. So, there’s that.”
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Was Mari expecting Kenny to pop the question? “I knew that we were in a good spot. I knew that we had the conversations and I felt really good about where we could have gone after Paradise, but you just never know,” Mari explained.
“There’s always that little inkling that’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what if he gets cold feet? What if he changes his mind? What if he just wants to leave together as a couple?’” she stated. “Which I still would have been happy, but I definitely was hoping for the engagement.”
Kenny was planning to propose longer than viewers thought. The Right Stuff Entertainment creator actually made the decision after his date with Tia Booth. “It was quite a few days before the engagement thing. Mari had pulled me aside [after getting back from the volleyball date],” Kenny said. “That had sort of got the ball rolling for that direction.”
During his proposal, Kenny said, “Mari, you know as soon as you came down the stairs and through the gates of Paradise, I honestly was blown away about how beautiful you were.” He continued, “You know, I don’t [know] if it was love at first sight, but it was definitely something — something I’ve never felt before. At the end of the day, we did go through a lot of real-life relationship stuff, and we were tested like no other couple in Paradise, I think. … I’m shaking,” Kenny remarked.
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“Mari, I am f—king so in love with you. And I literally, like, I can’t see my life without you,” Kenny said before dropping to one knee and proposing. He even joked about their age difference by referencing his creaky old bones. Mari is 15 years younger than Kenny.
Their age difference hasn’t been an obstacle for the duo. “The way that we work together and the way that we go about our lives fits really well together, so there doesn’t feel like there is a gap at all,” Mari said in a video clip.
So, how did Mari and Kenny’s families react to their unconventional engagement? Mari shared that her parents are “happy for me” and cried when she told them.
“So, my parents knew, kind of, when I got home what was going on,” Kenny stated. “They were very shocked at that moment. But when we saw it back last night, we were all together,” he remarked. “Her family came in and everybody was together, and it was great, to be honest,” Kenny explained. “It was pretty- a pretty special night.”
Congratulations, Mari and Kenny!
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TELL US- WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE BIP COUPLE THAT GOT ENGAGED? ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT KENNY POPPED THE QUESTION?
[Photo Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin]
