Bachelor in Paradise couple Mari Pepin-Solis and Kenny Braasch have shared an update on their wedding planning, including when each of their two weddings are going to take place.
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The couple previously revealed they are planning two weddings -- an intimate ceremony for family in Puerto Rico, where Mari is from, followed by a huge celebration for all of their friends in Chicago, IL, where they currently live together.
"We've seen some venues [in Puerto Rico] and have narrowed it down... We're looking at November of next year," Mari revealed on the December 1 episode of the "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" podcast.
She added, "And I think I know which venue I'd like to secure, but we need to have a final discussion about it."
Kenny shared of his preference for the Puerto Rican wedding, "The one venue that I like has donkeys and mini cows that walk around with drinks attached to them so you can grab a beer off of them. That's the venue that I want based only on that."
But Mari admitted Kenny's favorite venue is "too casual" for what she's been imagining.
Mari explained how she wants to walk down the aisle surrounded by "a bunch of tropical flowers" and then have her guests dine on "lots of good Puerto Rican food."
"A giant cake is a must and our dogs have to be involved. I would also like to have just a good variety of activities for the family to do together before and after the wedding, sightseeing and stuff," Mari shared.
But Mari and Kenny said they have a wedding planner working on their November 2023 wedding, which has taken a lot of "stressful" details and tasks off of Mari's plate.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
As for their Chicago wedding celebration, Mari and Kenny revealed they are aiming for Spring 2024, once it "warms up" a bit in their city.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWThe pair said the list of Bachelor Nation alums who will be invited is "long" and includes Bachelor in Paradise cast members, producers and handlers as well as women from Matt James' The Bachelor season.
While Kenny pictures hiring a deejay for his big day in Puerto Rico, he said there will probably be "live entertainment" for the big Chicago party.
After Kenny popped the question in Paradise last year, Mari moved from Maryland 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.
"We got back [in] July [2021] and she moved in March or late February [2022]," Kenny said on "Click Bait," acknowledging how he and Mari only endured about seven months of a long-distance relationship.
Mari added, "I don't think we went longer than two weeks without seeing each other."
Kenny said he believes if a Bachelor in Paradise couple is going to last and make it work, moving to the same city is crucial.
"If the distance goes on for too long, I just think it's going to fall apart," Kenny admitted.
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"Our leases ended pretty much at the same time [after Paradise] and both of us have jobs where we can work from home on our computers, so it was very easy for me to pick up and shift," Mari explained.
"But I decided to come here because his businesses are rooted here [in Chicago] and his whole family is here whereas in Maryland, I didn't have my family there and I wasn't tied to any specific school or work in Maryland. So it was easy for me to prioritize just being together and picking up and moving over... There wasn't any hesitation for me."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Kenny also advised future Bachelor in Paradise couples to "try to stay out of the bullsh-t."
On Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season, Mari, a marketing manager at the time, connected with Kenny, a boyband manager, right off the bat, and it seemed like love at first sight despite their 15-year age difference.
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.
"Obviously, I was very into Mari from the very beginning," Kenny explained to People in October 2021.
"So once I sort of knew she was in the same place I was is when I started thinking, like, we might end up engaged at the end of this."
Mark said after the show that she and Kenny have similar habits and hobbies. She also noted how they were in the same stage of life, although she's younger than him.
On the Bachelor in Paradise finale, Kenny popped the question with an oval-shaped diamond ring, and the pair couldn't wait to show off their love and be a couple in public.
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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's heart on The Bachelor's 25th season and Kenny dated Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams on The Bachelorette's sixteenth season.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
