From roses, to happily ever after! As soon as Nayte OlukoyaI stepped out of my limo to enter the race for Michelle Young‘s heart, viewers could tell there was something special between him and the season 18 Bachelorette.
Nayte received the first impression rose during the October 2021 premiere of the ABC show, and he later said he didn’t understand the significance of the gesture at the time.
“Obviously, you can assume that it’s just who Michelle [Young] had a really good first impression of, right?” he said on an episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast that same month. “But, like, the world of Bachelor Nation? I didn’t have a clue.”
While sparks flew between the two, the Minnesota native found herself falling for the runner up Brandon JonesYou can also. After revealing in the December 2021 finale that she was “in love with them both,” the teacher was forced to face her feelings for her remaining two suitors.
“They have given me everything that I’ve asked for and tomorrow is going to be the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” she explained during a confessional in the emotional episode.
After Brandon and Nayte chose Neil Lane engagement rings, both the former and latter were able to choose the former. Bachelor contestant turned down the Texas native’s proposal, noting, “It’s not that I don’t love you, because I do. It’s just that my heart is pushing me in a different direction and I have to go with what I feel and it hurts so much because you are this unbelievable person.”
Michelle later reflected on her instant connection with her now-fiancé after he got down on one knee.
“This has not necessarily been a smooth ride, but I’m also not willing to face that fear of walking away from this without you,” she shared. “Because I have never felt a love like this before. And I love you with my entire heart and don’t ever want to think about waking up next to anyone besides you and doing life with anyone besides you. And at the end, I wanted to be standing in front of my soulmate and he is definitely standing right in front of me.”
During the live After the Final RoseMichelle shared a special moment when she spoke out about how close the couple became after filming the reality series.
“I think what’s so hard is that you go through this experience and you have these magical moments, and you leave, like, in love, but then you spend so much more time together. You get to text, FaceTime, talk to each other’s families come and get significantly closer,” she said in December 2021. “I think the biggest thing is we communicate through everything. And it doesn’t always have to be this perfect communication but we both know we’re going to stick in it. We will not let go. We will not let go, and that is the most important part. It isn’t easy. There’s going to be uncomfortable emotions, and we definitely had them.”
Nayte for his part opened up about his love for Michelle, and fans were able to see them take the next steps in their relationship.
“Michelle, ever since September 9th, 2021, when I got on one knee to ask you to spend the rest of our lives together, it has been an absolute dream come true,” he wrote in a lengthy Instagram post at the time. “There will inevitably be ups and downs, just like any other strong relationship. But I don’t care if it’s tomorrow, 5 years from now, or 50 years from now. I plan on always giving you my full effort and working through life with you.”
Scroll down to relive Michelle and Nayte’s sweet romance:
