Bachelor in Paradise star Mari Pepin-Solis has revealed when she and Kenny Braasch have scheduled their two weddings and will be getting married.
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In fact, Mari said she and the boyband manager are set to tie the knot in Mari's native Puerto Rico in November 2023 followed by a second wedding in Chicago, IL, in March 2024.
"It's been a lot of fun to plan the wedding. I think we're still in the preliminary stages; we're still trying to source some vendors and get the major things booked," Mari told the magazine.
"We've done a lot of research and we've just been having a good time with it. A lot of times wedding planning can be boring and stressful, and as much as it is a lot of work, I think we're just trying to have a good time with it... and make the best out of it."
Mari acknowledged how she and Kenny "have a difference of opinion on things," such as Kenny wanting to ditch "Save the Dates" for their destination wedding, but she said they've had a fairly easy time compromising and working together.
"I think we're just like that in general. 'You tell me your perspective, and I'll tell you mine.' Then, we'll just kind of figure it out and meet in the middle, which has been really nice because there's no super huge differences where we can't agree on something," Mari explained.
Mari -- who has been sharing parts of her wedding journey on social media -- said it makes sense to exchange vows in Puerto Rico because that's where she's from and a lot of her family still lives there.
"It's just kind of what I always envisioned for my wedding. So I'm really glad that [Kenny] is happy to oblige me in that aspect," Mari noted.
Mari teased that since she and Kenny will be having two weddings, they'll have "multiple looks" and will be going "all out" in terms of their attire.
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Mari shared that she already went shopping for wedding dresses with Kenny's mother and sister and it "such a good experience."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW"My mom lives overseas, so she wasn't able to join, unfortunately, in person. But I just feel so lucky that his family is so welcoming and so loving that they would come to something like that for me -- so [it's] very special," Mari gushed.
Mari recalled trying on "so many different styles," adding that her final selection wasn't what she had initially imagined wearing on her wedding day.
"The style I ended up choosing completely caught me off guard. I have a couple different styles, so I was able to mix it up and throw in different styles that look nothing like each other, which is cool," Mari explained.
"But the dress for my main wedding, the one in Puerto Rico, I envisioned myself in something very sleek and sexy and almost more pageant-like -- I have no idea why I never envisioned myself in anything else, but suddenly I'm on Pinterest and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, no, I love this style.' And I ended up going with something so different."
Mari and Kenny got engaged on Bachelor in Paradise's seventh-season finale in Summer 2021, but the show didn't air until October of that year.
"It's strange because when I think about it, I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, we've been together almost for two years now, and it feels like it's gone by so quickly,'" Mari said.
"But then I'm like, 'Well, yeah, I guess that does make sense because we think about it, like, in TV time -- there have been however many seasons after ours now.'"
Mari and Kenny revealed in January they had already booked their wedding venue in Puerto Rico and paid the deposit for a "smaller and more intimate" ceremony. They were still trying to nail down the guest list and a caterer at the time.
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Mari told BachelorNation.com late last year that she wants "a tropical theme" with "tropical flowers" and a "colorful" event for her Puerto Rican wedding.
After Kenny popped the question in Paradise, Mari moved to Kenny's hometown of Chicago.
Kenny revealed in January 2022 that he and Mari were taking the next step in their relationship and moving in together.
"@Mari_Pepin and I have signed the lease on a new apartment here in Chicago," Kenny reportedly wrote on his Instagram Story at the time.
Mari then reposted the announcement and added, "I can't wait to keep annoying you, and scaring you, and love you every day boo!"
On Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season, Mari, a marketing manager at the time, connected with Kenny right off the bat, and it seemed like love at first sight.
But once things began getting serious, Mari pumped the brakes and suggested the couple should continue seeing each other while keeping their options open and pursuing other possible romances in Mexico.
Kenny, a little heartbroken over Mari's lack of commitment, therefore dated Demi Burnett, with whom he went to "The Boom Boom Room," and he also went on a date with Tia Booth in which they played naked volleyball with strangers.
Once Mari saw Kenny with other women, she realized how much she missed him and how she wanted him all to herself. Mari therefore apologized to Kenny and fought for him, and the pair became inseparable after their reconciliation.
On Bachelor in Paradise's finale, Kenny said getting engaged to a person so soon was "insane" but he'd be an "idiot" not to wife Mari up because he was absolutely crazy about the girl.
Mari gushed about how Kenny had "100 percent of her heart" and she felt like the luckiest woman in the world to be with him.
Mari said that although there is a 15-year age difference between them, she believes they are at similar stages in life and want the same things, which helped bring them closer together and solidify their bond.
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In terms of having children, Mari said, "I think I just want to enjoy being married for a little bit first and then maybe in the next year to two years we'll start talking about that."
In addition to Kenny and Mari, two other couples got engaged on the Bachelor in Paradise seventh-season finale: Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt as well as Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn.
Maurissa and Riley have since split, but Joe and Serena are currently married and living together in New York City.
Before appearing on Bachelor in Paradise, Mari competed for Matt James' heart on The Bachelor's 25th season and Kenny dated Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams on The Bachelorette's sixteenth season.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
