Joan Vassos said "yes" when Chock Chapple proposed on a Bora Bora beach. It was a secret they had to keep for months, and they told On The Red Carpet they're happy to finally share their love with the world.
"It feels really good. You know, we finished filming in August, and so we have been like a secret for a long time," Vassos said. "Very few members of our family and friends knew, but other than that, it's just been between the two of us, which is a little bit like, something that's really good for your relationship, that it's just the two of us. There's no outside noise, but the fact that now we get to meet each other's friends and family and have, you know, that part of our life starting, it feels really good."
Chapple, who got the first one-on-one date when Vassos invited him to Disneyland, said he was all in the minute he stepped out of the limo on night one.
"I was smitten with Joan right then," he said. "And then Disneyland, I never sweated it. I mean, we talked the whole time. It was like we'd been a couple for 3-5 years."
Their bond grew throughout the season and in the final days, Joan knew where her heart was and she sent Guy home before he could meet her family. On Wednesday's "After The Final Rose," the two revealed they'd had several secret meetups, where they could relax and really get to know each other as the world was watching their love story unfold.
"We haven't been out in public and living out, meeting each other's friends, getting to know everybody's family and ordering at restaurants but we've spent a lot of time just the two of us, so we have all those "homey" things kinda down," Vassos said.
Chapple now knows his lady's coffee order and what side of the bed she sleeps on, Vassos has learned about his love of naps and they both share a love of crossword and jigsaw puzzles.
"The other night, she knocked one out in about 15 minutes by herself and we do them together and we tag team on them, but she knocked it out, she's impressive," Chapple said.
The two say they're not in a rush to walk down the aisle, but have no fear, Bachelor Nation, it'll happen!
"We kind of just want to live a little bit like a normal couple, like meeting each other's friends and family and going out to dinner and maybe going on some vacations together. But there will be a wedding in the future," Vassos said. "I see it within like a year or so."
Vassos and Chapple say they'll split their time between Chapple's home in Kansas and her home in Maryland. And as they mentioned on the show, they are going to find a place together in New York City, where they both had always dreamed of living. They've already lined up a meeting with a realtor!
Chapple, who owns an insurance business in Kansas said he's not worried about spending time away from the office. After he got back from filming, his team let him know they're doing juuuust fine.
"I get back into the office and have the first meeting. They all looked at me and go, 'Can you go back away? We've got this,'" he revealed.
He wasn't the least bit offended, as he's fine to spend as much time on the east coast as he can.
"There is a direct flight from Wichita to D.C. and my brother lives in D.C. too, so it's really working out," said Chapple.
"And his kids have moved to the East Coast, so even another reason to get him kind of at least on this side of the United States," Vassos added.
Vassos also said the distance isn't worrying them and, for now, they're looking forward to racking up those frequent flyer miles.
"You know, as you get to be a little older, you know, you don't have little kids at home, making sure they get to school and you have the resources to travel and you kind of have the time to do it. So to go back and forth, you know, everybody looks at this as a negative. But I think it's going to be fun," Vassos said. "I'm going to be in Wichita when, you know, one of his friends is having a great party or we have something to do...going to go to a KC game or whatever. And he'll be in D.C. when there's fun stuff happening there. And then when like, we want to just be just the two of us, we're going to be in New York," Vassos said.
If you missed any part of Joan's journey, "The Golden Bachelorette" is streaming now on Hulu.
And if you like listening to all things Bachelor Nation, you can find "Playing The Field: A Bachelor Podcast" wherever you get your podcasts.
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