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Mari Pepin-Solis<\/strong><\/a> and Kenny Braasch<\/strong><\/a> were one of three couples who ended season 7<\/a> of Bachelor in Paradise<\/em><\/a> with an engagement, but their road to happiness came with a few speed bumps.<\/p>\n When the season began in August 2021, the boy band manager was immediately attracted to the former beauty queen, who made her Bachelor Nation<\/strong><\/a> debut during Matt James<\/strong><\/a>\u2018 season of The Bachelor<\/em><\/a>. At first, the duo seemed like one of the strongest couples on the beach, but things hit a snag when Mari told Kenny that she wanted to keep her options open.<\/p>\n \u201cInitially, we had a conversation about not going on dates with other people [and] it wasn\u2019t shown,\u201d the Puerto Rico native recalled during a September episode of the \u201cClick Bait\u201d podcast. \u201cAnd then after sleeping on it a little bit, after getting some opinions [and] advice \u2014 I talked to Wells [Adams]<\/strong><\/a> a little bit and I asked him, \u2018When do couples usually start to become more exclusive?\u2019 And he said not until, like, week three or four usually.\u201d<\/p>\n At that point in the season, Mari thought she wasn\u2019t ready to commit to Kenny, but she reconsidered when Demi Burnett<\/strong><\/a> arrived. The BiP<\/em> season 6 alum set her sights on the Bachelorette<\/em><\/a> season 16 veteran, eventually taking him to the boom-boom room<\/a>, but their romance quickly fizzled.<\/p>\n Kenny then went on a date with late arrival Tia Booth<\/strong><\/a>, but he ultimately decided that Mari was the one for him. Though he worried that their 15-year age difference might pose a problem, the duo talked it over and realized they were both ready to tie the knot<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, we did go through a lot of real-life relationship stuff, and we were tested like no other couple in Paradise<\/em>, I think,\u201d the Right Stuff Entertainment founder said while popping the question. \u201cMari, I am f\u2014king so in love with you. And I literally, like, I can\u2019t see my life without you. You\u2019re such an amazing woman that you\u2019ve changed my whole outlook on life.\u201d<\/p>\n After the season finale aired in October 2021, the couple told Us Weekly<\/em> they hadn\u2019t started planning their wedding<\/a> yet, but Mari said she\u2019s planning a move to Kenny\u2019s hometown of Chicago.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s our first step, and we did agree to get married in Puerto Rico, where I\u2019m from,\u201d the Towson University alum added. \u201cSo there\u2019s that.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep scrolling for a look back at Kenny and Mari\u2019s relationship ups and downs:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n