Why 'Bachelorette' Fans Need To Stop Asking Kaitlyn & Shawn About Marriage

Former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe always marched to the beat of her own drum. The public first met her when she was on Chris Soules’ season of The Bachelor, and her first words to farmer Chris was that he could “plow the f*ck out of her field any day.” Talk about making a splash on The Bachelor scene. Eventually, Kaitlyn got her own season of The Bachelorette, her own controversy, and now, her own way of doing things. So, yes, Kaitlyn and her fiancé, Shawn Booth, are not married yet, and everyone honestly needs to stop asking.

Kaitlyn was one of the biggest breaths of fresh air in a franchise known for predictability. Her season of The Bachelorette started off in a particularly strange way, as the producers pitted her against Britt Nilsson and had the contestants choose what Bachelorette they wanted. Kaitlyn was their pick. And, she played by her own rules. She kissed who she wanted, she let Nick Viall join the competition late, she slept with Nick before Fantasy Suites, and she was unabashedly real the whole time. She even blew her whole season with an errant Snapchat of herself and Shawn in bed before the finale had aired, probably making the show add some “thou shalt not post about yourselves on social media” language into the contracts.

And because Kaitlyn does things her way, she and Shawn are also not going about the whole “let’s get married on television” thing the same way other couples might. Kaitlyn’s season aired in 2015, which is a lifetime ago when it comes to how quick the series’ stars usually go about things. Considering that Shawn and Kaitlyn only knew each other for, oh, eight weeks when they decided to get engaged, their having not married yet seems kind of normal? And healthy? In an interview with Us Weekly, Shawn spoke on why they've decided not to get married quite yet. He said:

“We have our own stride with how we want to take our relationship from the show out into the real world and it really has been an adjustment. But we’ve always been on the same page. We click like that. We’ve been normal and want to keep that normalcy. It blows my mind when people ask, ‘Why haven’t you gotten married?’ Because we’ve been together for three years and I’d like to see the timeline on people’s relationships and engagements who are asking us. Being together for three years without getting married doesn’t seem strange to me.”

Preach it, Shawn! He went onto say that their family and friends support them in their journey, and frankly, that’s all that matters. They’re still obviously very much in love, as shown by a very sweet pic that Kaitlyn posted on Instagram in honor of the couple’s third anniversary.

In the caption, Kaitlyn wrote, “3 years ago, we were on a show that has the most extravagant dates, allows people to travel the world, and makes you fall in love in perfect settings. But the truth is I fell in love even harder after all of that was gone. We have traveled, created so many memories and traditions, with whatever setting we are in. Here’s another one to add to the list. Derby with you was a perfect way to spend our anniversary. (After family time) I love you Shawn B.”

Um, how adorable are they? The Bachelor sets a lot of unrealistic expectations for couples, because in real life, getting engaged after eight weeks and living happily ever after is the exception, not the rule. Relationships are so much harder than The Bachelor gives them credit for, and if Kaitlyn and Shawn want to take their time before they take things to the next level, more power to them. It’s no one’s business but their own.