'BIP' Alums Ashley Iaconetti & Jared Haibon's Wedding Looked Like Total Paradise
The current cast members of Bachelor in Paradise still have to get through several rose ceremonies before talk of marriage comes up, but even if their relationships on the beach don't go as planned, there's always the chance Bachelor love still happens for them IRL. Case in point: These details about Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon's wedding, which will remind you that love can work out differently than you might expect.
After meeting on Season 2 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2015, Bachelor franchise contestants Ashley and Jared had a slightly rocky start to their relationship. Jared wasn't as into them being together as Ashley was, meaning they were just friends... until May 2018, that is, when they announced in an episode of Ashley's The Story of Us web series that they were dating. Describing his initial reluctance to pursue Ashley when she was in another relationship, Jared said in the video, "I’m living proof that you should listen to your gut, and that it’s not too late. The person I wanted to be with most was right in front of my eyes.”
The following month, Jared proposed to Ashley while filming a guest appearance on Season 5 of Paradise. Since then, the couple's social media accounts have been packed with wedding preparations and romantic engagement photos, but in case you haven't kept up with them, Jared and Ashley finally tied the knot on Sunday, Aug. 11, in a Rhode Island ceremony.
PEOPLE reports the two exchanged vows in a church ceremony officiated by former Bachelor producer Elan Gale. As seen in the magazine's exclusive wedding photos, Ashley definitely embraced her Bachelor princess aspirations through her choice of a Ines Di Santo ballgown. Although Ashley has compared him to Disney prince Aladdin, Jared chose more traditional attire and sported a Black Tux tuxedo. To top off the Bachelor fairytale, the couple even gave each other Neil Lane wedding rings. Franchise host Chris Harrison wasn't there, but through these little details, Ashley and Jared definitely delivered a day worthy of a Bachelor rose.
Of course, there were plenty of franchise alums at the Newport nuptials. Former contestants Kaitlyn Bristowe, Jason Tartick, Ben Higgins, Olivia Caridi, Chris Randone, Krystal Nielson, Evan Bass, Carly Waddell, Becca Tilley, JJ Lane, and Chris Strandburg attended the festivities. Former Bachelor Nick Viall and Dean Unglert, who's slated to join the ongoing Paradise season, served as two of Jared's groomsmen. Although Ashley's fellow Paradise alum Jade Roper Tolbert was selected as a bridesmaid, she and husband Tanner Tolbert, the newlyweds' original officiant, stayed home to recuperate after the birth of their son in late July.
As evident by the Bachelor guests' Instagram posts, Jared and Ashley's reception was also a party that couldn't be missed. According to PEOPLE, American Idol winner David Cook performed the couple's first dance song "Ever the Same," and before grooving along to a DJ's music, guests enjoyed dinner as an orchestra played tunes such as Disney's "A Whole New World" and Taylor Swift's "Love Story." Guests could also drink one of several themed cocktails, including "Ashley's Tears." Excuse me while I make notes on my secret Pinterest wedding board.
It took them some time to make it down the aisle, but Jared and Ashley definitely show that a long journey to love is totally worth it. Congratulations to Bachelor Nation's newest married couple!
