November 22, 2022 • bachelor insider
EXCLUSIVE: Brandon Jones & Serene Russell Discuss Their Engagement and Wedding Plans!
Celebrations are in order!
Bachelor Nation fans saw Brandon Jones and Serene Russell find love and get engaged on Season 8 of “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Now they are sitting down with BachelorNation.com for their first exclusive interview as an engaged couple.
Check out Brandon and Serene’s interview below!
Bachelor Nation: First of all, congrats you two! We love your love so much. How was watching the reunion back for you guys?
Serene Russell: Thank you so much! I was so much more emotional at the reunion than I expected. I am not usually a crier. I don’t usually get that emotional. I got more emotional at the reunion than I did during our engagement day. I was not expecting that! He’s the emotional one usually. It’s sweet, though!
BN: So sweet! And now that you’re officially engaged, what’s next for you two?
Brandon Jones: The next step for us is that we’re moving in together in San Diego! Serene is moving down. I already have the spot and she’s already been moving stuff over. Once we’re able to go out in public, she’s going to be there and we’re really going to start our lives together.
SR: I am so excited to go on a date! At this moment, we’ve been really cherishing our alone time together. Being in a very public relationship is going to change that a bit. We’re really excited for the future, but at the same time we’ve been really soaking in the bliss of our engagement.
BJ: Yeah, it’s all just been so great, but I agree. I want to go on a date! I want us to get all dressed up so I can take her out. This has all been amazing. We’re just cherishing it all.
BN: Love it! Have there been any challenges in keeping your relationship private for the past six months?
BJ: We’re in a bubble, so it’s been hard not getting to be in public at all. There have been some obstacles and things that don’t happen in regular relationships. There have been things we’ve never dealt with before, but the most important thing is that we are a team. We navigate it all well. We are always just trying to lift each other up.
SR: He’s Mr. Risk It All and I’m Miss Rule Follower. So he makes me have a little fun and I’m the one who reminds him of the rules sometimes. So when it comes to staying hidden, I’ve been trying to keep it low-key and staying in. We did get wigs, though. Brandon has liked wearing my wig more than me, though!
BN: So fun! Was there a favorite memory from “Paradise” that we didn’t get to see on-screen?
BJ: Some of my favorites memories with you from “Paradise” was just when it was the two of us eating chicken nuggets. You don’t ever see that stuff!
SR: Also, our ice cream with mango moments. That was our favorite thing to eat at the beach. It was a simple way that he was really intentional with me. Brandon also sent that to me during split week when we hadn’t talked.
BJ: Oh yeah, and right before split week too, I ran up to the van before she left and gave her a kiss promising her that everything would be okay. I wanted her to know I would be waiting for her and we got this.
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SR: Him coming up and saying bye to me meant a lot. He also sent that ice cream and begged for a way to still let me know how he felt. Those little intentional things went a really long way.
BN: And have you two thought about wedding plans at all yet? Would you ever go back and get married in “Paradise” for real this time?!
BJ: We’ve thought about wedding plans. We do have some things in rotation. For now, we’re just enjoying the moment and truly enjoying our engagement.
SR: I think we would get married in “Paradise” if our families were there! It is such a special place to us and having our families there in the place where we got engaged and thought about getting married would be so special. We are definitely thinking about it!
BN: We’d love to see that! Congrats again, Brandon and Serene. Cheers to the future!