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It’s been over two years since we met Rachel Lindsay, the first Black woman to be declared the prize for ABC’s “The Bachelorette.”
Since these shows and the subsequent relationships move so fast, we assumed that the marriage between Lindsay and her choice, Bryan Abasolo would also move at lightening speed. But apparently after the reality show courtship, the two opted for a more traditional timeline when it came to getting to know each other.
After all most three years since meeting, the two finally tied the knot this weekend.
According to PEOPLE, the couple got married this past Saturday at the Royalton Suites in Cancun, Mexico.
Her wedding planner Michael Russo told PEOPLE, “Rachel was the epitome of elegance and grace as she walked down the aisle towards Bryan. The ceremony was filled with so much joy, love and laughter. As they exchanged their personal handwritten vows, you could feel the unbridled emotion and powerful connection between them.”
Abasolo, a chiropractor in Miami, proposed to Lindsay two years ago when the couple were vacationing in Spain. Lindsay said the moment was so surreal all she could do as he was down on one knee was scream.
“I mean we’re in Spain, we’re on top of this castle. I’m standing in front of the man of my dreams, and now he’s about to get down on one knee. And so the moment he did it, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is happening!’ I couldn’t do anything but scream. Like that’s all I could do, I was so happy.”
Lindsay’s selection didn’t come without its criticism. When people learned that there was a Black bachelorette, the assumption was that she was going to pick a Black man. It was a pressure Rachel felt.
In 2017, she told PEOPLE, “Honestly, I don’t want to go into this process with any preconceived notions or any pressures to do something for somebody else. I hate to sound selfish, but it’s my process. It’s my journey in finding love. And whether that person is black, white, red, whatever — it’s my journey. I’m not choosing a man for America, I’m choosing a man for me.”
After the proposal, the two lived together in Rachel’s hometown of Dallas before they eventually relocated to Miami earlier this year.
Despite their televised beginning, the couple made a decision not to broadcast their wedding day.
“I wanted a TV wedding. I 100 percent did,” Lindsay admitted. “Then, as we got to know each other in the real world and things became normalized, and then I started hearing horror stories about these TV weddings, I am very thankful that we don’t have one and that we’re doing it on our own. I also think that it shows to the world or Bachelor Nation that what we have is more real. We don’t need TV. We don’t need to get paid. We’re doing this because this is what we want to do. And I think it has more meaning.”
The two both want children although they’re not in agreement about the actual number.
Bryan wants three and Rachel wants four.
She told PEOPLE, “I think we’d have pretty babies.”
That’s a potentially loaded sentiment but we’ll assume the best here. Congratulations to Rachel and Bryan.
You can check out images of the couple over the years on the following pages.
