When’s The Wedding? Mariela Peplin Spills Wedding And Future Details With Kenny

This Puerto-Rican queen is now looking for a wedding dress!

Mariela Pepin is one of the three girls on the newest season of the hit ABC show “Bachelor In Paradise” to get engaged. The pageant winner was a fan-favorite for the entire season.

Our amazing celebrity reporter Bryana Media had the amazing chance to catch up with Mari on her current life, her wedding details, and if kids will ever be in the picture!

Q: Being on “The Bachelor” the whole purpose is to find love. Before deciding to take on this journey, what about your love life was not working?

M: “Before going on The Bachelor, I think there were a few things at play in my love life that just weren’t working; I was in a serious relationship (we were talking engagement, marriage and kids), that ended in 2019. After that, I briefly dated a couple of men who just weren’t on the same page with what we wanted out of the relationship. I was thinking serious and long-term, and the guys I was crossing paths with just weren’t there. Then the pandemic hit and I pretty much lost hope for a minute!”

Q: What was your everyday life like before being on “The Bachelor” and “ Bachelor In Paradise?”

M: “My everyday life before going on The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise was mostly simple and quiet, to be honest. I was working as the Marketing Director at a plastic surgery center & medspa with typical, long hours at a desk every day. I kept that position through filming both shows, but ultimately decided I couldn’t stay there and keep my sanity and happiness. I absolutely loved what I did, but not how I was doing it or where. Now, I do the same exact thing but for a different practice in the Chicago area! Its’ great because I’m doing what I know, love and am good at, but with the flexibility of working remotely, which is a no brainer for someone in digital marketing, if you ask me!”

Q: After “ The Bachelor” came to an end, what made you want to continue your journey to find love? 

M: “After The Bachelor, I decided to continue my journey to find love because I knew Paradise could work. It’s seen the most successful relationships out of the franchise which gave me hope that it could work for me too! I wasn’t ready to give up yet, plus I knew there would be a possibility of meeting Kenny on Paradise.”

Q: When in paradise, you automatically gravitate towards Kenny. What about Kenny made him so special? 

M: “Kenny is someone I had my eye on from the time his season of The Bachelorette was airing. He’s one of the few men from that season that I ended up looking up and following on social media. From what I saw, we had similar lifestyles and interests – spending time in the gym, lowkey nights/weekends. I was also reallyyyy attracted to him physically, so when I finally met him on Paradise, I already had a level of interest; at that point it was just about seeing if there was something that could develop even further and I wanted to find out right away (time is of the essence in Paradise)! Luckily, we learned that we’re a pretty great match, and the rest is history!”

Q: Throughout paradise, you and Kenny both had a fallout but worked towards it and were able to make things work. What made you want to pursue a relationship with him?

M: “I wanted to continue pursuing a relationship with Kenny, despite our bump, because prior to that happening everything just felt right with me and him. It happened really quickly and intensely, and it felt scary, but it felt good; something I hadn’t experienced before with someone. I knew having that happiness and that feeling of “this is right”, was something I wanted to have forever. It was a tough situation, and at one point I did consider letting him go, but ultimately, I decided I needed to at least try to work things out, and that’s what we did!”

Q: Now that you guys are engaged, how has life outside of paradise been for both of you?

M: “Life outside of Paradise has been great for Kenny and me! We take turns visiting each other for now, until I make the move to Chicago early next year. It’s been nice to take our time assimilating into the “real world” and adjusting to each other’s routines and habits. It’s been pretty easy and fun for us so far, and I think we’ve got a good handle on things! I’m excited to move to Chicago and really experience life together that way.”

Q: Do you and Kenny have a wedding date? 

M: “Kenny and I don’t have a wedding date just yet. We decided to get married in Puerto Rico, though! I’ve been debating on whether or not to compete in one last pageant. If I do compete next year, we’ll hold off a little while. If not, we’d get married sooner. Until it’s decided one way or the other, we can’t pick out a solid date yet. Thankfully Kenny supports me in either choice.”

Q: Are you and Kenny having conversations about starting a family? 

M: “Kenny and I have talked about kids, yes! It was actually our second ever conversation we had while in Paradise. I told him up front that I do want kids some day and he was okay with that. How many? That we’re not sure about yet, but I think at least two little ones would be ideal for us. We plan on having kids after we get married, so we’ll do more in-depth planning when the time is near.”

Q: Do you still keep in contact with the other couples from “Bachelor In Paradise”?

M: “We do still keep in contact with the other Paradise couples! Hopefully we can plan a couple’s trip all together one day. Joe lives really close to Kenny, so they hang out every once in a while, and when Serena and I are both visiting at the same time we plan on having a double date!”

Q: If you would have known what you know now about being on “The Bachelor” and “Bachelor In Paradise”, would you have done things differently?

M: “I don’t have any regrets about my time on either show, but I would do one or two things differently. On The Bachelor, I would have put myself out there a lot more. I was very reserved for fear of what the audience would think of me and because I didn’t want to be pulled into any sort of drama. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have been so concerned about that and just let myself live the experience 100%. On Paradise, I think the only thing I would change is being more direct and quicker to react. Had I done that I think some of the drama I went through could have been avoided. That being said I think it was all meant to happen exactly the way it did, and it all turned out amazing in the end. I’m happy and that’s all that matters!”

Interview Conducted By: Bryana Media

Edited By: Je’Kayla Crawford