Bachelor in Paradise couple Mari Pepin-Solis and Kenny Braasch have revealed that they may surprise people with when they get married following their Summer 2021 engagement.
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"Well, we do live across the street from the courthouse," Kenny, 41, teased to Us Weekly at a November 5 Bachelor in Paradise event in Los Angeles, CA.
Mari, 26, agreed with her fiance and added, "We might surprise people, who knows."
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Mari and Kenny, however, suggested tying the knot in a courthouse would probably be their last resort, and so it doesn't appear they'll be following in the footsteps of fellow Bachelor in Paradise couple Serena Pitt and Joe Amabile.
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"We're actually gonna do two events. We're having our... main wedding in Puerto Rico, Mari shared.
"That's where I'm from. So it'll be a small, intimate, mostly family [and] close friends. And then later on, we'll do a bigger wedding in Chicago for everyone to come out and celebrate with us."
Mari and Kenny, who fell in love on Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season and got engaged on the show's October 2021 finale, confirmed they've set a wedding date for November 2023.
"I've been looking at a couple venues," Mari explained.
"We have one that we really like and it's very garden-castle vibes. I get all the princess vibes, which, you know, I love that."
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As far as what the bride will be wearing on her big day, Mari revealed how she envisions herself in a "sleek, more sexy" style of gown.
"I actually have said 'yeah' to one of them. For our Chicago celebration, I've said 'yes,' but my Puerto Rico dress is actually gonna be custom-made," Mari said. "We're in the process of designing still and choosing fabrics and all that."
Kenny joked of his future wife rocking a sexy dress, "I mean, I don't hate it."
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But the couple won't be rushing to expand their family once they say, "I do."
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"We actually, we talked about it once on Paradise. That was, like, the first thing we talked about. I told him I want kids," the former beauty queen recalled. "But we're not actively planning or anything yet -- [it'll be] down the line."
Until their wedding comes, Mari and Kenny will apparently continue to be wedding dates.
They said they anticipate attending fellow Bachelor in Paradise couple Becca Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs' upcoming nuptials.
"[Becca and Thomas] might surprise us [and] just elope somewhere," Mari shared.
After Kenny popped the question in Paradise, Mari moved to Kenny's hometown of Chicago.
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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 Instagram Stories 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, a boyband manager, right off the bat despite their 15-year age difference, and it seemed like love at first sight.
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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.
"I feel like I'm kind of in a different life stage than most people my age. And so for me, I think someone who is in a similar stage [works best]," shared Mari, who revealed on Bachelor in Paradise she's not interested in partying and had always wanted to get married young.
"We do the same things and we've got the same habits, and it just works really well for us. So I think that's ultimately what I was looking for, and I found it."
Mari added of the significant age gap, "I think the only way that it's noticeable is when we talk about movies or music, because [we're] obviously [from] different generations."
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On the Bachelor in Paradise finale, Kenny popped the question with an oval-shaped diamond ring and said, "Mari, I am so f-cking in love with you! And I can't see my life without you. You are an amazing woman and you've changed my whole outlook on life."
In terms of having children, Mari said at the time, "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: Serena and Joe Amabile as well as Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn.
Maurissa and Riley have since split, but Joe and Serena are now married on paper and are planning a big September 2023 wedding so their family and friends can attend.
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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