Here comes the bride … in 2024! After popping the question on Bachelor in Paradise, Brandon Jones is ready to take the next step in his relationship with Serene Russell.
“We know we wanna get married in 2024,” Serene, 27, exclusively told Us Weekly during a joint interview with Brandon, 28, ahead of the Tuesday, November 22, finale. “We’re thinking about, like, time of year and all of that. But we’re still in the stages of being super excited for where we’re at. We haven’t gotten to walk out in public as an engaged couple yet, so we’re really enjoying this time. But I would be lying if I wasn’t, like, on wedding TikTok just saving stuff. … I have a collection for wedding ideas already!”
Fans watched the pair get engaged on Tuesday’s episode, with Jesse Palmer then offering to marry them on the spot. Despite his eagerness to say “I do,” Brandon has no regrets about turning down the host to marry the couple on the beaches of Mexico just minutes after they got engaged. “I want the wedding! I want everyone there,” he explained to Us.
Serene echoed those sentiments, explaining, “We loved each other enough to get married right there. [But] we’ve gotta have a party with our loved ones. Also, my mom would’ve killed me because I’m the first girl. I have two big brothers and so she’s like, ‘There’s no way you are getting married without me.'”
Brandon added: “We’re very in-the-moment people. So, it’s like, we want to enjoy our engagement, make memories. Then [we’ll move on to] marriage, make memories, then kids, [and] make memories.”
The reality TV personalities immediately hit it off after coupling up on the first day of filming season 8 and were the first couple to drop the L-bomb during their first official date. “When I saw you, [I knew] I didn’t want to be with anyone else but you,” Brandon said during an October episode of Bachelor in Paradise. “I’m falling in love with you and I am so happy that I am. I’m so happy that my life led me to you.”
At the time, Serene gushed that the Oregon native made her feel “special” — and she told Us earlier this month that she still feels the same way. “I think [I knew we were soulmates after] just realizing you’re willing to do anything for me, but also you’re the most incredible person and we align in so many different ways,” she said.
The Oklahoma native continued: “I had never had anybody look at me like [he did]. It’s one thing to experience someone’s words and then experience their actions. I’m getting it all from him at the same time. … He wears his heart on his sleeve and I never have to guess how he’s feeling. That’s something that I said I needed coming off of Bachelor. I was like, ‘I don’t want to do the guesswork. I want someone that’s gonna be intentional with me.’ … And that’s exactly [Brandon].”
While the pair weren’t the only couple to get engaged, Johnny DePhillipo and Victoria Fuller have already split (and she’s dating Greg Grippo). Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby, meanwhile, opted to leave beach dating, making Brandon and Serene the only engaged pair remaining from season 8.
“It feels kind of special being the only ones that made it out,” Serene said.
Brandon added that it’s “crazy” to think about. “We’re the only ones that made it out — it’s wild.”
Additional reporting by Hannah Kahn
