Bachelor Nation’s Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell are engaged
Brayden Bowers got down on one knee for a surprise engagement Christina Mandrell during the day The Golden wedding on Thursday, January 4.
“I just knew there was something special, and there was something different, and then I got to spend time with you and spend time with Blakely… and introduce you to my family,” Brayden, 25, said, referring to Christina’s daughter with her ex-husband. “For the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve found someone with whom I can be unapologetically myself. And I have no doubt that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
Host Jesse Palmer later revealed that Brayden had received permission from Gerry Turner to pop the question on him and Theresa Nist‘s big day.
Brayden and Christina’s relationship was revealed during the Bachelor in Paradise season 9 finale last month.
What happens on The Bachelor doesn’t always stay on The Bachelor! While many couples have found (or lost) love on the reality TV dating franchise over the years, others have met their match within Bachelor Nation after their season ended. Katie Thurston joined the club of off-camera Bachelor Nation couples in November 2021 […]
Brayden, who made his debut during Charity Lawson‘S Bachelor party season last summer, left BiP as a single man but found love with Christina, 28, outside the franchise.
“Now Brayden is dating Christina from Zach’s season,” said a message during the BiP final read. “Brayden teaches Christina’s daughter how to make accessories.”
Now they are going to live together. After the holidays, Christina appeared – which appeared on Zach Shallcross‘ season of The Bachelor in early 2023 – gave followers a glimpse into her preparation for Brayden’s move to Nashville.
“Full delulu mode thinking I could get the whole house organized before Brayden moves in… so now it looks like this 😅🙃🤪,” she captioned a Jan. 1 post of her cleaning the house.
When news of her and Brayden’s relationship became public, Christina wasn’t shy about sharing her love.
“AHHH! We can shout ‘FINALEy’ from the rooftops!! “Beyond the cameras and reality show drama, Brayden (aka MY BOYFRIEND!) and I have found something very special,” Christina shared on Instagram in December 2023.” Within each other, we have a space where being unapologetically ourselves is not only accepted, but celebrated! Something I never knew I was missing until I did it.”
She gushed about their “crazy, love-filled world” and revealed that Brayden will be moving to Christina’s hometown of Nashville as they enter the next phase of their relationship.
Some Bachelor Nation couples hit it off differently. The Bachelor franchise has been matchmaking since 2002. In 2003, Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter became the first Bachelor Nation couple to walk down the aisle. The pair, who met while filming the first season of The Bachelorette, celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary in December 2022. Thank you! […]
“San Diego to Nashville will not only be a change of scenery, but the next chapter in our journey as a team,” she continued in her December post. “A future where laughter, authenticity and the power of ‘USA’ define our story. … We are on this adventure together, encouraging each other and creating a home full of laughter and love. Grateful for the ease with which we can be exactly who we are together. There is something incredibly special about finding a love that feels like home.”