Kelsey Anderson and Joey Graziadei are ready to start focusing less on date cards and more on wedding invitations.
"It’s so funny. Literally this week Joey came up to me. He’s like, 'Kelsey, we need to start planning our wedding,'" the former Bachelor contestant recently told E! News in an exclusive interview. "And I was like, 'Oh my gosh, you’re right.' Because it takes so long. You have to plan it in advance."
And she can’t wait for the journey to begin.
"We're really excited to start narrowing down destinations and dates and starting to get that process going," Kelsey added. "So, we're definitely starting it and excited to see where because we have family all over the place. So, we'll see where it is, but still in the process of figuring it out."
While she knows finalizing the details will steal their attention for more than just a sec, the bride-to-be already has a general sense of the theme she wants for their big day.
"I just really want something timeless," Kelsey continued. "I don't really have a whole lot of ideas going into it. I've never planned my wedding before. I don't really have a Pinterest board. But now that it’s coming up, I've definitely been looking up different types of vibes recently, and I just really love a beautiful, timeless wedding."
As for whether she and Joey would ever consider a televised wedding if presented with the opportunity, the reality star said they would need to discuss if they'd be doing it for the right reasons.
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I think that we really want the moment to be for us, but we also really appreciate the people that support us. So, I think that we would just have to talk about it together and see what happens whenever, if, that comes."
For now, Kelsey and Joey are just concentrating on Valentine’s Day. And while they enjoyed romantic Vespa rides through Spain and luxury boat excursions in Mexico on The Bachelor, they’re keeping things more low-key this time around.
"We’re going to just go to a nice restaurant, and then we're just going to come back home and chillax," she noted. "We have been so busy lately, so it's nice to just have the small moments together."
While this is Kelsey and Joey’s second Valentine’s Day as a couple, it’s the first one they get to celebrate publicly together as his season was still airing last February—meaning they were still in their secret couples getaway phase of their romance.
Looking back on how their relationship has evolved over the past year, the former junior project manager suggested her relationship with the tennis teaching pro is rosier than ever.
"I just feel like our relationship has never been better," she said. "He's my best friend, and he's just the best person. I just feel like we've grown just by knowing each other better."
For Kelsey, this has included getting to know the little things about Joey—like discovering he’s the "best roommate" ("he’s so clean") after moving in together and seeing his silly side.
"I'm very goofy," she shared, "but I've been able to also bring out his goofy side. And so, it's fun just being able to joke around together and laugh at things."
Instagram/Kelsey Anderson
One thorny part of dating in the public eye, however, is the social media scrutiny that can bloom. Like when Kelsey made a TikTok video in January to address why she wasn't wearing her engagement ring—explaining to her followers that she was trying to avoid "excess wear and tear" by taking better care of it and reminding them that it’s just a symbol that doesn’t actually change the status of their engagement when she takes it off.
Still, the 26-year-old tries not to let the comments occupy too much of her attention.
"I know that I never have to ever reply," she told E!, "but I do like to reply sometimes because I think that it's funny or sometimes I just want them to know, 'Hey, everything's good.' But I don't think that I feel a whole lot of pressure that it’s a necessity. I like to reply when I want to. And if I let people speculate, that’s also good with me sometimes—if I don't want to reply to it."
And Kelsey appreciates the love she and Joey have received from Bachelor Nation.
"I do understand that people are invested in our relationship and us as people,” she continued. "So I try to give them a little bit of insight sometimes where I can. But I think that the people that support us are really great, and I'm just thankful that they do."
When it comes to showing her appreciation for her friends and family, Kelsey will express how much they mean to her in a card. Which is one of the reasons she wanted to partner with Hallmark and show the kinds of cards and gifts people can get for their loved ones.
“My mom was always such a sentimental person and always instilled the significance of a card to us," said Kelsey, whose mother Denise Anderson passed away in 2018 after a battle with breast cancer. “So now I am all about cards, and I love them so much. I think that they’re just such a special way to make the people that you love feel loved and important and appreciated. So, it was super exciting to work with them, and I just thought it was the perfect partnership just because of how much cards mean to me."
In honor of Valentine’s Day, keep reading to see where more Bachelor Nation stars stand in their relationships.
