'Bachelor in Paradise' stars Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon dish on wedding plans and more
It took more than two years for reality TV stars Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon to become a couple, and now, they don't want to waste time before making things official.
In an interview with "Good Morning America," the "Bachelor in Paradise" stars, who met on season two of the show and just recently got engaged during the production of season five, said that they've already begun to talk about their future.
While right now they're still just tossing around ideas, Iaconetti said that they're hoping to tie the knot next August, and Haibon added that they're leaning toward having the wedding in his home state of Rhode Island.
Like so many "Bachelor" franchise couples before them, they're also open to televising the nuptials.
"The reason I met the love of my life is because of 'Bachelor.' And so I'm always indebted to them for that," Haibon said.
"But we definitely -- we don't wanna wait around for it!" Iaconetti added.
Iaconetti, who first appeared on Chris Soules' season of "The Bachelor," fell for Haibon, who made his franchise debut on Kaitlyn Bristowe's season of "The Bachelorette," when they appeared on "Bachelor in Paradise" in 2015. However, her feelings were not reciprocated. Things didn't work out between them during season three the next summer, either. Ultimately they settled into a close friendship, and though Haibon began to realize that perhaps he wanted to have a romantic relationship with her, Iaconetti met another man during production of the February 2018 series "Bachelor: Winter Games."
After her time on that show ended, the two went on vacation with friends, and Haibon confessed how he'd been feeling. Iaconetti was moved, but stayed in her relationship.
"I still thought, 'This guy needs to figure out whether this is out of jealousy.' And I also deserve to date somebody else after all these years, and all of these tears I shed over him," she said. "I was like, 'This other person I'm dating has been into me, and wanting to like, commit to this from the get go.'"
It didn't last, however, and after she split from that man, she gave Haibon a shot. Just a few months later, they agreed to appear on season five of "Bachelor in Paradise" together, and, after Haibon got ring input from Iaconetti's sister and had a conversation with her father, he proposed on the beach where they first met.
"I had an inkling, but then everybody was like, 'Ashley, no, you have to really accept the fact it's not gonna happen,' she said. "They were so good! I was completely thrown off."
Now happily engaged, Iaconetti is looking forward to trying on wedding dresses for the first time soon -- and ultimately, having two or three children with Haibon.
"We know the name of one of them ... but I'm not putting it out there," she said. "It's a boy name but if we're going onto our third kid and it's a third straight girl, we're definitely using it."
"It's a name very important to her that I really like too," Haibon added.
No matter what the future holds, the couple is undeniably excited to spend it together.
"I feel incredibly lucky and grateful that everything's worked out, because I'm engaged and couldn't be happier to the love of my life, to the most amazing human being on this world," he gushed. "And so I just feel like a very, very lucky man."
"I'm so lucky," added Iaconetti. "Seriously, every single day I'm like, 'I don't know how I'm this lucky. I am so blessed.'"
"Bachelor in Paradise" premieres Aug. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
