Bachelor in Paradise couple Caelynn Miller-Keyes and Dean Unglert have officially tied the knot and gotten married.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Dean and Caelynn, 28, exchanged vows at Beyul Retreat in Meredith, CO, on Saturday, September 23.
The weekend celebration inspired by summer camp had indoor and outdoor components, embracing rustic decor and western style.
According to the bride, a "bright and colorful" welcome dinner preceded the big wedding, which turned out to be "an elegant night in the mountains" for 75 guests, People reported.
Dean, sporting a tuxedo and gold bolo necklace, initially planned to enter his wedding ceremony to "Don't Worry Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin, but he decided to change it last minute to "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.
Caelynn wore an A-line dress with a corset when she walked down the aisle to the song "Kiss Me" by Sixpence.
Caelynn shared, "It was the second dress I tried on and I immediately knew it was the one. I wanted something simple, classic, and elegant. The designer allowed me to make a few customizations, we lowered the waistline a bit, removed the pockets, and added a removable corset."
One of Dean's best friends, Jackson, officiated the wedding ceremony.
Once Caelynn arrived at the altar, she and Dean said their personal vows.
"He's such a good writer, he's a good public speaker, he's great at articulating his feelings, and I think he's hilarious," Dean gushed of her fiance.
Caelynn therefore anticipated before her nuptials that Dean's vows would be perfect.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWDuring the reception, guests dined on Alaskan salmon and steak, followed by a three-tiered vanilla cake and ice cream sandwiches.
The newlyweds' first dance was to "Bring It On Home to Me" by Sam Cooke.
"We looked up the meaning of the song, and it's about a guy who loses a girl and will do anything to get her back," Caelynn shared. "It felt very true to us and how our relationship began on the beach in Mexico when Dean came back."
Caelynn and Dean told People that their "Camp Bell" wedding theme was a sentimental nod to Caelynn's childhood love of summer camp and Dean's late mother, Debbie Bell, who passed away from breast cancer when he was a teenager.
Dean and Caelynn plan to change both of their last names to Bell in her honor, now that they are husband and wife.
All of their guests had their own cabin and stayed on property, and Caelynn pointed out how nothing about her nuptials was "super traditional."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
After the wedding ended, Caelynn and Dean traveled to Aspen, CO, where they intended to stay for a few days in order to unwind and relax. The couple will then take off to South Africa in December for their honeymoon.
ADVERTISEMENT
"He's taught me a lot in the past four years of us being together. He never says no or he can't do something, he always tries, and almost always succeeds and it's been great to flip my perspective on things and start challenging myself more."
Caelynn concluded, "Each year with Dean gets better, so I'm excited to see how we grow as husband and wife. Hopefully kids are in our future as well."
Caelynn and Dean just celebrated their four-year dating anniversary with a romantic trip to Bali in July.
Caelynn celebrated her bridal shower and bachelorette party in May in Las Vegas. She called it "the best weekend ever" with her family and friends.
Caelynn said in April that she had already ordered her two wedding gowns and that she and Dean had "everything planned."
Dean surprised his fiancee with a new engagement ring -- her fourth one from Dean -- this past spring while they were exploring a bamboo forest in Kyoto, Japan.
Dean had lost his original 4.5 carat diamond for Caelynn, and so he proposed in October 2022 with a temporary ring featuring a tiny diamond. Caelynn wore a temporary ring with a replica moissanite stone for a while, and then Caelynn's final ring is a real diamond.
Dean and Caelynn, who will be signing a prenuptial agreement and plan to have kids of their own as well as adopt, began dating on Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise, which aired in Summer 2019.
On Bachelor in Paradise's sixth season, Dean broke up with Caelynn on her birthday and left the show alone because he didn't think he was ready to provide the commitment that Caelynn wanted.
However, Dean returned for Caelynn later on and begged her to give him a second chance, and the pair left Paradise dating each other.
Dean proposed marriage to Caelynn late last year following a grueling 22-mile hike to Hawaii's Kauai Island about three years after they started dating.
Caelynn then popped the question to Dean in December 2022, which made their engagement even more "official." She forced him to conquer his fear of riding horses since he had pushed her out of her comfort zone with that brutal Hawaiian hike.
ADVERTISEMENT
Caelynn and Dean -- who previously admitted he'd prefer to just get married in a low-key courthouse ceremony -- initially planned to elope in Italy but then they realized Colorado would be a better wedding destination because all of their friends would be able to attend.
Once Dean got "the van life" out of his system, he and Caelynn moved into a home together in Las Vegas in Spring 2021. Caelynn and Dean later relocated to Denver, CO.
Back in June 2022, Dean revealed on his podcast that he had made a deal with Caelynn about getting engaged.
"I made a deal with [Caelynn]. I was like, 'I'll buy you a ring if you buy me a truck,'" Dean said, which sparked criticism from some fans that Dean didn't treat Caelynn very well.
Dean also admitted at the time how he had thrown a "hissy fit" upon seeing the 4.5 karat ring Caelynn was hoping to have on her finger one day and the pair got into "a scuffle."
Dean said getting engaged was simply "a touchy subject" in his relationship, adding, "Caelynn makes significantly more money than I do and here I am having to spend all this money on something I don't even want. Like, I want her to get what she wants, but she's the one who wants to get married."
But then Caelynn came through and bought Dean a truck in August 2022.
Back in April 2022, Caelynn recalled her reaction to Dean's request that she propose marriage to him.
"When Dean first said that, I thought, 'Okay, [it's] another thing Dean is saying to break the mold.' Sometimes he says things just for a reaction, and he'll admit that. I thought that's kind of what he was doing," Caelynn explained in a Q&A on YouTube.
"But the more I thought about it, the more I loved it, because traditionally, he would propose to me. That's something I've dreamt of for so long, and that's something that he doesn't get -- a day that's catered to him and this special moment where he's really thought of. That's when I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I love this.'"
Caelynn pointed out how she and Dean have "a partnership" and so they both deserve to have a proposal day. She therefore got "really really into" the idea.
ADVERTISEMENT
"He is hilarious and he's very sarcastic and he's also the most romantic person I think I've ever met. He's so thoughtful," Caelynn boasted.
"So I think that's a big misconception -- that I'm, like, more invested in the relationship or he, like, doesn't treat me right. I'm like, 'No, he treats me exceptionally well and he's always going out of his way to just surprise me and do romantic things.'"
Prior to meeting on Paradise, Caelynn competed for Colton Underwood's heart on The Bachelor's 23rd season, and Dean had been on multiple The Bachelor spinoffs after initially appearing on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette.
Dean previously gushed to Us his relationship with Caelynn is "monumentally different" from other women he's dated in the past. Dean was previously linked to Kristina Schulman, Danielle Lombard and Lesley Murphy from The Bachelor world alone.
"She's very intelligent and compassionate. I am able to be myself around her and she's able to be herself and that's how we create synergy and build around each other," Dean explained of Caelynn.
"For the first time in my Bachelor franchise relationship history, I feel like I'm able to say what I want, do what I want, and allow my partner to build with me while I'm doing that."
Dean, however, believed in late 2019 that marriage was "never going to happen" for them.
"She does joke around about us getting married all the time, and I always say, 'Sorry, it's not going to happen.' I don't know, I'm super unconventional and she obviously is a little more conventional," Dean told the magazine at the time.
"We joke around about it. Just try to keep expectations to a minimum, you know? Like I said on the show, underpromise, overdeliver."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!
ADVERTISEMENT
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
