All About Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson's Relationship After “The Bachelor”
Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson plan on a long engagement after he proposed to her in the finale of season 28 of 'The Bachelor'
Joey Graziadei has found his future wife in Kelsey Anderson after a whirlwind season on The Bachelor.
The reality TV star proposed to Kelsey in the season 28 finale of the show, which aired on March 25. Since then, the couple have been open about their new life together, especially the difficulties of having to keep the news quiet while the show was airing.
"We've been the strongest that we've ever been and it's the strongest I've ever had," Joey said during the live After the Final Rose portion of the finale. "I think that we're in such a great spot now."
Related: Meet the New Bachelorette Star Jenn Tran, Who Makes History This Season
Following the conclusion of the season, Joey and Kelsey spoke to PEOPLE about their future plans and how they’re excited to just be a “normal couple.”
“We have a shared note and we both add to it,” Kelsey said. “There's dance classes, pottery classes, grocery shopping — little things together and the big things. I'm just excited to do life together and just run to the store together.”
From why they won't get married soon to attending couples therapy together, here’s everything to know about Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson’s relationship after The Bachelor.
They attended couples therapy after The Bachelor
After the show wrapped filming, Kelsey and Joey had to keep their relationship secret in the “in-between period” while it aired. During that time, the couple attended therapy together to work on their communication.
“It's definitely not easy because we both do appreciate the physical touch,” Joey told PEOPLE. “We communicate so much better when we're actually with each other in the same room. But the couples' counseling made a huge difference for us to not only be able to find better ways to communicate, but also learn how each of us communicate differently.”
He added that the sessions “made a world of difference” and helped them learn “a lot about each other.”
“Even though this time has not been the easiest — because who would want to be apart from someone when they get engaged? — I think it's going to help us in the future,” Joey said.
They found creative ways to keep their relationship secret while the show was airing
While Joey and Kelsey tried to find their way as a newly engaged couple, they came up with creative ways to hide their relationship. They even went as far as to use aliases for each other on their phones, with Kelsey using Faine C. for Joey since it was a different spelling of fiancé.
Joey was not a fan, calling it the “worst name.” “It's the dumbest one ever,” he said. “Have you ever met with a name Faine in your life? Because there's no such person as a Faine.”
After the finale, Joey said he was looking forward to being renamed Joey in her phone — and being out in the open together.
He added that his and Kelsey’s relationship has been “in reverse” as they got to know each other on a deeper level before learning all the small details about each other that one usually starts a relationship off with. Due to that, he felt the two had a “really strong foundation.”
“It's ideal, I think, at the end of the day,” he said. “It's just a little different.”
They plan to move to New York City
The couple are currently planning an engagement party in Kelsey’s hometown of New Orleans, but after the affair is over, they plan to jet off to New York City.
“I've always wanted to live there and Joey is supporting me in that,” the junior project manager told PEOPLE. “We're young and I think now is the time to live in a tiny, cramped apartment together and experience it. Even if we hate it, at least we can say we did it.”
Joey agreed, sharing he thought living in the city would be “fun,” even though he is a sun and beach lover.
“Anyone that knows me personally knows that beach, warm weather, all of that has been my vibe. I lived in Hawaii, but I've really come to love in New York from the time I spent there,” he said. “It does have a different feel. I've never lived in a big city. My family lives in Philly area and I have close friends [there], so the idea of being close to them finally is going to be great. I think it is the right time to do it, so we're excited.”
The two plan to make the move by the end of the summer in 2024 and live in the Big Apple for “a year or two,” Joey said.
They want to have a long engagement
Though the season may have ended with an engagement, Joey and Kelsey are in no rush to get married.
“We want to promise our lives together, but we don't want to rush it,” Joey said. “It's time now to enjoy this. We have the rest of our lives to celebrate it. We're going to take it day by day and just enjoy this time.”
Kelsey elaborated that they planned on staying engaged for two or three years and continuing to get to know each other.
As for wedding planning, Kelsey said she has a lot to think about as she doesn’t have any clear ideas yet, other than wanting a “timeless” ceremony.
“I honestly don't know what I want my wedding to look like,” she said. “I definitely want all my close friends and family there. I think I want a very timeless wedding, but where? Not sure. I guess we're going to have to figure that out.”
Joey added that the long engagement will help give him and Kelsey time to come up with the details.
“I'm sure more ideas will come out of that,” Joey said. “We have no interest in putting it off, we just don't want to rush through it. We want it to be something that feels special together.”
They balance each other out
Though the tennis pro and his fiancée may not be walking down the aisle soon, Kelsey said she knows Joey will not only be a good husband, but also a good father.
“He's going to be an amazing father,” Kelsey said. “Joey is very intentful with his words and his actions. He really grounds me. Through this whole experience, I saw so many qualities in him that just really struck me. A lot of those qualities were what my dad showed and I saw them in Joey, which my mom always told me, ‘You need to find somebody that has the same qualities as your dad,’ and I do feel like I found that.”
Joey had equally glowing words for Kelsey, who he said balances him out with her “fun energy” that counteracts his more serious persona.
“I have a tendency sometimes to take things too serious, to overthink things, to just kind of not be able to sometimes let it be what it's going to be, and she does that with ease,” he said.
He continued, “She just has this fun energy about her. No matter whoever she meets in the room, she makes them feel seen and special, and has this bright light about her. I've always said, ‘I can't imagine how I wouldn't enjoy life when I have her by my side.’ “
They turned to other former Bachelor couples for advice
Amid their individual Bachelor journeys, Joey and Kelsey turned to Bachelor alums Charity Lawson and Dotun Olubeko. As Charity’s runnerup in season 20 of The Bachelorette, Joey developed a “close” bond with Dotun, who gave Kelsey “great advice,” she said.
"'Just go through it with no refunds,’ ” she recalled Dotun telling her. “So I'm like, 'You don't have any refunds here. This is a non exchangeable.' So regardless of what obstacles come our way, I know that we're going to be able to get through it."
Joey added that Charity and Dotun had “been there for both of us,” and that he leaned on their expertise as he navigated his unique journey to love through the show.
"There's two sides. There's the idea of just understanding what all of this is like, and it's also talking to the couples that have been able to make it through it," he explained. "So we've been trying to do a little bit of both, and I think it's been really helpful for us to just understand that we're not alone."
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.