After three years of friendship, Jared Haibon, 29, proposed to Ashley Iaconetti, 30, who was undoubtedly smitten with him from the day they met. However, their journey to engagement was paved with obstacles. Jared initially thought he and Ashley were better off as friends following their first date on Bachelor In Paradise in 2015. But, he later had a change of heart especially after Ashley began dating The Bachelor Winter Games contestant Kevin Wendt in 2017. “I just felt a lot of shame and guilt, and I think those are two very powerful emotions that will make you curl up and stay in your comfort zone,” Jared told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY.
“I think for a while after that I became less of a man and not the person I wanted to be. I got a glimpse of what my life would look like without Ashley, and it scared the sh*t out of me and made me realize that I either need to start listening to my convictions and do something about this. Or, I can continue living a lesser life and potentially live with a lot of regret and consequences down the road,” Jared continued while Ashley sweetly caressed his arm.
“So, that’s when I kind of picked myself up and forgave myself– because it’s so true where you think ‘oh you’re not good enough’ or ‘oh it’s too late,’ and that’s ridiculous. It’s never too late, and you should always go after what you want and fight for the people that you love, and that’s what I realized what I had to do in that moment– fight for Ashley because Ashley is everything I wanted,” Jared added. If you’re tearing up right now, you’re not alone.
Nevertheless, we couldn’t be happier for Ashley and Jared as they embark on this next chapter in their life. As we previously reported, Jared popped the question in Mexico on June 17, where the couple first met three years ago. Congrats again, Ashley and Jared!