The Bachelor alum Caelynn Miller-Keyes has spilled some juicy details about her time on Bachelor in Paradise with Dean Unglert and also shared never-before-seen photos of the couple.
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Caelynn and Dean's relationship goes all the way back to Bachelor in Paradise's Summer 2019 season, which featured the pair meeting for the first time.
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.
During a recent Q&A session on Instagram, a fan asked Caelynn if Dean's exit -- and subsequent return -- to Paradise was scripted or totally authentic, according to BachelorNation.com.
Caelynn replied, "Oh my gosh! No, not scripted AT ALL. I remember that moment so vividly."
The former beauty pageant queen recalled of Dean, "He had a little note of things that he wanted to remember to say and I'm pretty sure I have that still somewhere. I saw it in his pocket and saved it."
Caelynn also shared never-before-seen photos of the bride and groom-to-be, from when they had first started dating.
"Here's a video from the first month of us dating and when the van adventures began," Caelynn wrote, referring to how Dean had convinced Caelynn post-Paradise to live "the van life" in which they traveled together and didn't have a stable home base.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
And in another slide, Caelynn uploaded her "very first photo" with Dean, writing, "We took it on our flight home from Paradise. I was so blonde and still had a major baby face."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWIn addition, Caelynn reportedly revealed in her Q&A what she's most excited about when it comes to her upcoming wedding.
"I'm super excited for the actual ceremony and to hear Dean's vows," Caelynn said.
"He is very romantic, which not a lot of people know, and he's so good with his words. That makes me a little less excited to read my vows because I know that I'm not that good at explaining my feelings and writing them pen to paper. But he's so good at it, he's so romantic."
Caelynn proceeded to share, "I think the whole wedding weekend is just going to be so fun and special and unique. I can't wait! We're only 80ish days away!"
The couple's dog Alastor will also be a part of their big day in some special way.
When Dean and Caelynn tie the knot, they both plan to change their last names to "Bell" in honor of Dean's late mother, whose maiden name was Bell. Caelynn even got a tattoo of a bell pepper on her arm in honor of being "the future Bell."
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."
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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.
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.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
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.
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"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.
Dean and Caelynn have been wearing wedding bands since 2020 to show they are committed to each other. Caelynn told Us Weekly last year that it "really frustrates" her when fans assume Dean isn't good to her.
"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.
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"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' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
