Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin's Relationship Timeline

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Craig Sjodin/ABC

The pair met on the first day of filming and instantly hit off. During week three, they hit a bump in the road andbriefly parted ways, however, their time apart only made their connection stronger.

“I usually just say I’m happy being alone, but coming to Paradise and meeting you has changed the whole course of my life at this point,” Braasch told Pepin in one of the final episodes. “It took me 40 years to find the love of my life, and it’s worth the wait.”

Braasch asked Pepin to marry him during the finale and she said, “Yes.” In November 2023, the couplewed in Puerto Rico.

From their initial courtship to their wedding, here is a complete timeline of Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin’s relationship.

August 16, 2021: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin meet onBachelor in Paradise

Bachelor in Paradisereturned for its seventh season on Aug. 16, 2021, bringing in a slew ofBachelorNation stars to find love. Braasch and Pepin were immediately drawn to one anotheron day one. They started the season with a bang, becoming one of the first couples to share a kiss during the first episode.

August 30, 2021: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin end up in a love triangle

Craig Sjodin/ABC

Braasch and Pepin hit a rocky stage early on in their relationship during the third week. Pepinexpressed her interest in dating other peoplewhile on the beach, saying, “Kenny has told me that he’s very much, like, not interested in anyone else, but I also don’t want to block myself from something else because at the end of this, you know, I’m here to find my person.”

The boy band manager then started spending time withDemi Burnettand a love triangle ensued.

September 7, 2021: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin reconcile

Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty

It didn’t take long for Braasch and Pepin toreconcile and reignite their connection. The two were able to talk things out, with Braasch telling Pepin, “I’m not sure I ever felt this kind of feeling before.”

“I would leave here today like, with you,” Pepin said.

September 14, 2021: Mari Pepin reveals her biggest regret fromBIP

During an appearance on theClick Baitpodcast, Pepin spoke to the hosts about her decision to tell Braasch that she was open to getting to meet other people on the show, even after her initial connection with him. She explained that there “wasn’t anyone in particular that I was waiting for” but she wanted to “be upfront and honest” in case that moment came.

“Looking back, I do see that I shot myself in the foot, and everything that happened as a result was because of the conversation that I decided to have with Kenny,” she added. “So if I could go back and redo things, I probably wouldn’t have had that conversation before anything happened.”

September 21, 2021: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin reveal they’re “falling in love” with each other

“I believe in what we have and I really do think that we’re gonna be good after this,” Pepin told Braasch, who agreed.

He said, “I mean, at the end of the day — I mean I don’t know how you feel — but I do feel like I am falling in love with you.”

“That’s funny, because I’m falling in love with you too,” Pepin added.

October 5, 2021: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin get engaged

During theseason finale, Braasch popped the question in a romantic beachside proposal with aNeil Lane oval-shaped diamond ring.

“At the end of the day, we did go through a lot of real-life relationship stuff, and we were tested like no other couple in Paradise, I think,” he told Pepin as he got down on one knee. “Even with all that being said, I still — I’m shaking, sorry — Mari, I am so f—ing in love with you and literally, like, I can’t see my life without you. You’re such an amazing woman that you changed my whole outlook on life and everything. Everything about you is just incredible. I can’t imagine my life without you.”

Pepin, of course, said “yes” and the couple exchanged their final roses.

October 8, 2021: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin open up about temporary split and wedding plans

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Days after the season finale, Braasch spoke to PEOPLE aboutthe couple’s rough patchbefore their ultimate reconciliation. Braasch said that he didn’t have “any regrets” of their temporary split, explaining, “There were a lot of things going on, but at the end of the day, everything that happened put us where we are right now. So it’s all good.”

At the time, Braasch and Pepin had started to consider what they wanted in terms of their wedding ceremony and plans. Pepin explained, “I have all my ideas of what I want for my wedding, but we haven’t started planning anything solid yet. The only thing that we’ve agreed on so far is that we will get married in Puerto Rico.”

November 2021: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin celebrate Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico

In November 2021, the couple celebrated their first Thanksgiving together, traveling to Puerto Rico — where Pepin lived until she was a teenager — to spend the holiday with her family. They documented the trip on their respective Instagram pages, sharing snaps from their getaway.

“So much to be thankful for this year,” Pepin wrote inone of her posts, sharing a series of photos posing with Braasch as well as a snap with her family.

Though Braasch joked that Pepin had “dragged” him to Puerto Rico to spend the holiday with her family, he shareda series of sweet photosfrom their holiday together. “Had a great day yesterday w Mari’s family @mari_pepin Although not thankful today for slamming shots w Papá,” he wrote in the caption.

December 2021: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin spend Christmas together

After spending Thanksgiving with Pepin’s family in Puerto Rico, the couple enjoyed Christmas in Chicago with Braasch’s family. In the week leading up to the holiday, both Pepin and Braasch documented their Christmastime fun, which included severalfestive activities. They also had acouple’s photoshootdonning matching green shirts in front of a fireplace.

On Christmas Day, they sharedmore photosfrom their Chicago celebration, both wearing their own version of a festive outfit. In his caption, Braasch simply wrote, “Feliz Navidad,” while Pepinwrotein hers, “& to all a good night.”

January 15, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin enjoy a double date with fellowBIPcouple

January 28, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin move in together

Braasch and Pepin started the new year off with a big change: moving in together. Pepin moved from Maryland to Chicago, where she and Braaschsigned their first lease together. They announced the news on Instagram Stories alongside a photo of the couple smiling with a sticker that read “Life Update.”

“@mari_pepin and I have signed the lease on a new apartment here in Chicago,” Braasch wrote, before Pepin reposted it on her own story adding, “I can’t wait to keep annoying you, and scaring you, and love you every day boo!”

February 12, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin attend a local gala together

Braasch and Pepin stepped out at theFirst Look for Charity black-tie galaat the Chicago Auto Show, which benefited the Special Olympics as well as several other local Chicago charities. While Braasch donned a classic suit with a bowtie, Pepin opted for a strapless white dress.

February 14, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin celebrate their first Valentine’s Day together

In another round of firsts for the couple, Feb. 14, 2022, marked Braasch and Pepin’s first Valentine’s Day together. On Instagram, the couple shared snaps from a photoshoot they had done together, both donning red shirts and black bottoms. Inhis caption,Braasch wrote, “Happy Valentines Day to my new roommate.”

“Our first Valentine’s Day♥️ (sort of) … ,” Pepin captioned herpost, explaining that their first Valentine’s Day was not technically spent together. “Had a quick little photo sesh and some treats to commemorate the day, but we’re actually not able to be together tonight.”

April 21, 2022: Mari Pepin talks about future wedding to Kenny Braasch

“I have a lot of extended family there — grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, everybody — so, we’re all gonna meet up there in Puerto Rico,” she explained, adding that they were certain about having a tropical theme for the occasion, keeping on par with the origins of their romance.

As for the venue, no official location has been picked out yet but the bride-to-be has it narrowed down to a few options. Pepin explained, “We haven’t gone to see them all in person just yet. But I’ve seen the pictures online and I really want to do something outdoors for the ceremony and something indoors for the party.”

June 2, 2022: Kenny Braasch reveals when he knew Mari Pepin was “the one”

During his own solo appearance on theTalking It Outpodcast, Braasch got candid about his prior dating history, explaining that he had gone a long stretch without being in a serious relationship and that he was perfectly content with living the single life. It wasn’t until he got onThe Bachelorettethe first time that he considered opening himself up to a relationship and marriage.

He also spoke to Johnson and Abasolo about what initially drew him to Pepin and how he knew she was “the one,” explaining, “I don’t know, there’s something about her that’s just … it’s weird because she’s young — she’s only 26 — but the way we are together, it feels like she’s my age. It’s hard to explain.”

“To me, you need somebody that you can get along with and live with and be around all the time,” he continued. “The weird thing is, we don’t really fight. Previously, I always felt like a relationship just added more stress to my life and that’s why I didn’t want to be in one. But with Mari, there is no stress … We go out all the time, we see shows, we go to dinner — I never did any of that. I was always a homebody a lot prior. It just expanded and enhanced my life.”

June 27, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin celebrate their first anniversary

The couple celebrated theirone-year anniversarywith a set of posts on their respective Instagram feeds to mark the occasion.

Pepin shared a series of snaps from acouple’s photoshoot,writing in the caption, “HOW has it been a year already?! I guess time flies when you’re w the right person Still feeling just as lucky and in love as the day we left @bachelorinparadise together. Happy First Anniversary, I love you!”

Braasch shared multiple shots from theirbeachfront engagement, adding in the caption, “1 year ago today! Happy Anniversary @mari_pepin Love You!”

July 25, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin adopt a dog

Mari Pepin Instagram

Braasch and Pepin pranked fans onInstagramwhen they shared a strip of black-and-white photos that looked eerily similar to sonogram pictures. “IT’S A BOY!!!” the couple wrote in the caption, revealing that the photos were actually of the dog they adopted together.

August 1, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin attend Lollapalooza together

Pepin was introduced to the iconic Chicago music festival when she and Braasch attended Lollapalooza. OnInstagram, she shared a series of photos from the event, writing in the caption, “Wow!!! What a freakin' weekend! My FIRST LOLLA was unforgettable!!! Met up with some old friends, made some new ones, and had the best time w the LOML.”

August 7, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin appear onCelebrity Family Feud

BachelorNationandCelebrity Family Feudcollided in 2022, with several former cast members of the franchise’s various series coming together for a round of the classic game show. Pepin shared some behind-the-scenes snaps onInstagramin March 2022 when the episode was filmed, writing, “Can’t believe I actually got to go on @familyfeudabc!!! It’s my absolute favorite game show and I’ve always said I wanted to be on it one day.”

August 27, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin travel to Toronto to attend Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt’s engagement party

Braasch and Pepin took their relationship international when they headed to Toronto to attendAmabile and Pitt’s engagement party. They both shared posts on Instagram alongside fellowBachelorNation members dressed to the nines for the occasion.

“Quick road trip to Toronto for Serena & Joe’s engagement party,” Braasch wrote in the caption ofhis post. “Then we made Moynes buy us breakfast on the way out of Canada.”

September 16, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin are guests on theDear Shandypodcast

Braasch and Pepinplayed “The Newlywed Game” on theDear Shandypodcast. The hosts asked the couple to reveal their pet peeves about one another.

“Her chewing an apple,” Braasch said. “It’s bad. One time it was a pear.” Pepin, however, thought his pet peeve would be the fact that she doesn’t “put clothes away right away.”

When it was Pepin’s turn to answer, she said: “Metal on the pans.” Braasch wasn’t surprised but thought leaving the toilet seat up was more of a dealbreaker.

November 7, 2022: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin attendBachelor in Paradiseparty

Pepin stunned in an orange halter dress, while Braasch coordinated in an orange t-shirt that he paired with a black bomber jacket.

“@kennybraasch10 and I had a great time in LA for the @bachelorinparadise Press Party!” Pepin captioned a carousel of images onInstagram.

January 4, 2023: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin share details about their upcoming wedding

Shortly after the New Year, Braasch and Pepin launched anInstagramseries titled “Wedding Wednesday,” as a way to share the wedding planning process with their followers. In November 2023, the couple will have two ceremonies — one in Chicago and one in Puerto Rico.

During the first episode, Braasch and Pepin shared that their first dance will be to Foreigner’s “I Wanna Know What Love Is.” The pair first danced to the song while filmingBachelor in Paradise. In another episode, the couple decided to travel to the Maldives for their honeymoon.

April 2023: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin get matching tattoos

While on a cruise, Braasch and Pepin got matching palm tree tattoos — a tribute to their experience onBachelor in Paradise.

“We actually have been planning to do this since right after we left Paradise (on our hands!), but never got around to it. We thought this was a perfect, unique way to finally get them and also commemorate our amazing trip!” the couple captioned a jointInstagrampost.

Braasch got the tattoo on his neck, while Pepin chose to place it on her right hip.

November 11, 2023: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin get married

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The coupleexchanged vows in Puerto Ricoin front of 65 guests.

“I do believe in signs and numbers, and so 11/11 is obviously seen as a special number and it means good things,” Pepin told PEOPLE of their wedding date.

The reality star walked down the aisle in a strapless Justin Alexander gown, while Braasch opted for a traditional black tuxedo.

“As a little girl, I always dreamed of my wedding day — what’s it going to look like and what am I going to wear, but as you get older, you realize that that’s not the important part,” Pepin said. “The important part is finding a person that you want to spend the rest of your life with. I know that Kenny is the kind of person that I want to be with forever.”

March 30, 2024: Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin throw a second wedding bash

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Braasch and Pepin celebrated their nuptials for a second time with aretro ’70s- and ’80s-themed partyin Chicago.

“When we chose to do our first wedding in Puerto Rico, we knew that meant a lot of our friends, families, coworkers, etc. might not be able to make it, so from the beginning of the planning process we decided we’d have something local where everyone had a chance to celebrate with us,” Pepin told PEOPLE.

Attendees included a slew of Bachelor Nation alums including couplesJoe Amabile and Serena PittandAbigail Heringer and Noah Erb.

source: people.com