A few short years ago, it’s unlikely that any Bachelor Nation fan could have foreseen Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon becoming one of the franchise’s most enduring pairs. Since they met on Bachelor in Paradise in 2015, their love story has been filled with breakups, make-ups and many, many tears (mainly Ashley’s). With their recently televised engagement, though, Ashley and Jared solidified their status in the canon of BiP’s aspirational couples — right alongside their close friends Jade and Tanner and Carly and Evan.
More: Ashley Iaconetti Already Has Big Plans for Life After the Wedding
What’s that old idiom, a lid for every pot? Despite so much back-and-forth in their history, these two ultimately turned out to be the perfect fit for each other. They gush about one another’s best qualities. They finish each other’s sentences — well, sometimes it’s more a case of Ashley finishing Jared’s sentences. But he lets her. He gets her. Somewhere along the way, their reality TV romance turned into the real deal.
Fittingly, when you consider their tumultuous past, Ashley and Jared have teamed up with Excedrin to roll out the headache medicine’s new Limited Edition collections, including the oh-so-apt “Bad Date.” And when we had the chance to hop on a call with the genuinely happy duo, they were game to discuss everything from what gives them a premarital migraine to who’d play them in the rom-com of their life.
SheKnows: You’ve certainly had more than your fair share of headaches on the road to happily ever after. What are some of the biggest you’ve dealt with as an actual couple?
Ashley Iaconetti: Well, the most recent headache — that, thank God, we had Excedrin’s Limited Edition Bad Date Headache for — was Jared planning our proposal and maybe having to do it in front of an ex of mine.
Jared Haibon: Or, yeah, just planning a proposal and finding out the day before you might have to do it in front of her ex.
AI: The day before.
JH: And then really just doing everything in my power to avoid that, and having it be to no avail. That caused a headache or two.
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SK: Yikes! That’s tough, because Paradise is a huge part of your love story. Were there any conversations with Kevin [Wendt, Ashley’s ex] before or after?
AI: There was just sort of a “Hey,” “Hello,” “Congratulations,” “Thank you so much.”
JH: Once I knew that he was going to be there, I thought it best to just try to make it as painless as possible. ‘Cause there was only really that one moment when we were in front of the group talking to them that I knew that we were going to see Kevin, and so I felt it was best to just go in there and make that part as quick as possible. Then Ashley and I would go on our way and do our own thing. Little did I know Chris Harrison was going to call the group over to watch our proposal. But, you know, you can’t control everything, unfortunately.
More: The Bachelor‘s Ashley Iaconetti Is Hosting a Brand-New Show
SK: We’ve heard that you’d entertain the idea of a reality show, which the world obviously needs right now. What would a reality series with you two look like? What would you want it to show?
AI: Our daily lives, probably, and just him living with [me and] my sister in a three-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood. And then, of course, we’d want to incorporate some wedding planning. We’re going on a Royal Caribbean cruise this week, and our parents are meeting for the first time. We’re like, “Where are the cameras?!”
JH: There are so many moments with our friends from Bachelor Nation, too. Like, the amount of times when I’ve been hanging out with Nick [Viall] that I wish what he said was captured on camera, I just can’t tell you. I’d be a rich man if I had a nickel for every time I said that.
SK: Fans have always loved how honest you two are, including the way you addressed your virginity, Ashley. The new Bachelor, Colton Underwood, is fresh off of BiP and has been open about his virginity, too. Do you think the way that is being handled in regards to the new season is progressive or potentially exploitive?
AI: I’ve been constantly confused throughout my own journey [as a part of Bachelor Nation] and now watching Colton. Why is this such a fascinating topic to people, that he’s a virgin? That was the little gimmick they had with me. Wait, why is that so crazy? Why dedicate so much TV time to it?
SK: Let’s move on to some fun stuff and talk about your wedding! What has been the biggest wedding planning obstacle you two have overcome?
AI: That was another time we needed Excedrin Bad Date [laughs]. We got engaged about a year from the time we would have liked to get married. Then we started looking at venues last month, and we were like, “Wait, you’re telling us you have no Saturdays left next summer? Or you have, like, one Saturday and we have seven days to decide on it?” So, we just had our wedding planner come out to Rhode Island this week, and we think we have finally figured out what we’re going to do. It’s very exciting and we love the place, but we’re not going to talk about where it is just yet. Prices are also a headache!
JH: Prices are the No. 1 headache right now.
AI: Honestly, the first place we went to, they said, “This is the best discount we can do for you guys.” They told us, “We’re going to give you a discount because we think it’d be pretty cool if you got married here.” Then they gave us the estimate, pushed us the papers, and it was $100,000. So, we’re like, “OK, this is going to be scary.” That turned out to be — we felt — not anywhere near that amount of value. Nor do I think anything is really worth that much [laughs].
JH: It’s, “Hey, it costs this much to rent the place out. By the way, it’s $2 per chair, times that by 200. Oh, and it’s going to be about $150 per person for food, and your guest list is right around 200, so you can do the math on that.” It’s like, what the hell is going on here?
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SK: Are there any Bachelor Nation folks who’ve already sent in their RSVPs for the wedding?
AI: Oh, we have a good list of about 30 people from production and cast combined. Obviously, there are certain people who are going to be at our wedding, like Nick, Jade, Tanner, Carly, Evan. But everybody will find out soon enough who will be there.
More: Ashley Iaconetti Reveals How Jared Haibon Made Bachelor Nation History
SK: Exciting stuff! As two favorites in Bachelor Nation, I’d imagine there’s no shortage of attention from the fans (and the paparazzi). How do you two connect in your downtime these days?
AI: Sitting at home, ordering from Postmates and watching House Hunters or Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
JH: Honestly, we kind of miss the days sometimes —
AI: Oh, we miss just being able to chill and be home. It’s just been nonstop.
JH: In a very good way —
AI: In a very good way! We don’t complain about it at all, we just…
JH: It’s just really nice to be able to go home and zone out and not have to really worry about other things we have to get done or even go to.
AI: And that’s like every other couple. Every couple’s busy. But it’s been a whirlwind, especially since we announced our engagement.
JH: Our family and friends keep us very even-keeled. Anytime we go to visit home — whether it’s Virginia or Rhode Island — it really kind of centers us, which is nice to have.
SK: Finally, it feels like your love story is literally like a romantic comedy. If you could pick, who would you two want to play you in the rom-com movie of your romance?
JH: Mine comes down to two choices. Neither would probably do it, but I’d like either Ashton Kutcher or Tom Cruise to play me. Or… Zac Efron! How about that? I want Zac Efron to play me. He’s far better looking than me, but you know what? Screw it.
AI: I feel like Lea Michele could probably play me.
JH: I think Kim Kardashian should play her.
AI: We kind of have similar features. But Lea Michele, I feel like she could really bring my drama.
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