Here's What Becca Kufrin Said About Taking Garrett Yrigoyen's Last Name — EXCLUSIVE
OK, Bachelorette fans… I know everyone is obsessed with Hannah B. right now (and for good reason), but I need to circle back to shoutout a couple who continues to be cute AF all over social media. Becca Kufrin, the 2018 Bachelorette, and her love Garret Yrigoyen are still happily engaged and planning their wedding, even though they haven’t yet set a date. And you’ll never guess what Becca Kufrin says about taking Garrett Yrigoyen’s last name when they get married. It’s super sentimental, and it makes me feel even more attached to this couple and their bond.
Kufrin and Yrigoyen spoke to Elite Daily exclusively on June 10 at the premiere of ABC’s new show Grand Hotel (debuting June 17 at 10 p.m.), at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. They shared more details about their romance and their upcoming wedding plans. When asked whether she would take Yrigoyen’s last name, Kufrin wasn’t totally certain. “We might hyphenate,” she says. “I feel like I’m the last Kufrin, and I want to keep my dad’s name going, so I’ll still keep Kufrin no matter what.” The couple hasn’t decided for sure whether they’ll combine their names or not, but Kufrin knows she’s attached to her current last name and its familial connection. (Her dad, Steve Kufrin, died in 2009, according to his obituary.)
As someone who also feels a strong connection to my last name, I love hearing that Kufrin plans to keep her name while also potentially taking on her partner’s. It isn’t super common to hyphenate your last name after marriage — in 2015, a New York Times survey found that only 5.7% of respondents hyphenated their last names when they got married (as opposed to 73.3% who changed their names and 15.9% who kept their maiden names). It’s worth noting that this study is a few years old now, and these numbers may have shifted. Regardless, this feels like a special way for Kufrin to nod to both her familial upbringing and her future with Yrigoyen.
The couple also told Elite Daily their favorite things about one another. Yrigoyen loves Kufrin’s Midwestern accent and her “willingness to try new things,” while Kufrin adores her man’s “smile and his sense of humor.” They moved in together in San Diego after Kufrin’s season ended, and she says they’ve been adjusting quite nicely to their new routine. “Of course there’s challenges, just like any relationship,” she explains to Elite Daily. “But it’s been fun! I think the best way to describe it is just a fun adventure where it’s something new and different and challenging and exciting every day.” She gushes that living with Yrigoyen has brought a sense of security into her life, saying, “I’ve never had, like, this sense of home and belonging and partnership that I’ve had with him.”
After Kufrin’s devastating breakup with Arie Luyendyk Jr. back during The Bachelor’s 2018 season, it has been heartwarming to see her find lasting love with Yrigoyen. She tells Elite Daily that her hometown date with Yrigoyen during the show was the moment she really knew they were in love. “I left his [hometown] date and I just started crying because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” she recalls. “I was just overcome with this emotion of ‘I love this guy, and he hasn’t even told me yet, and I haven’t even told him yet,’ and I just knew we were on the same page.”
Even now that their days on The Bachelor are over, Kufrin and Yrigoyen continue to fill their lives with adventure, from a camping trip in Thailand to a romantic New Orleans getaway. And yet, despite all the glamorous travel, they’re still experts at keeping it real. I can’t wait to learn more details about their upcoming wedding, and to find out for sure whether Becca Kufrin-Yrigoyen is the name she decides to go with. It’s a mouthful, but if anyone can pull it off, Kufrin can do the damn thing.
Reporting by Veronica Lopez.
