James Devaney/GC ImagesDon't expect to see Kaitlyn Bristowe walk down the aisle anytime soon.
While Kaitlyn and Shawn Booth got engaged at the end of season 11 of The Bachelorette, the fan-favorite couple is in no rush to swap wedding vows, with Shawn telling E! News they're "just enjoying" being engaged when we caught up with him at the NYC First Responder's event at New York Sports Club in honor of First Responders Appreciation Month.
Shawn admitted they "haven't started planning" their nuptials yet, but that didn't stop fans from speculating recently that they had actually already gotten married he jokingly wrote "Wedding paperwork is tough" on a Snapchat he posted of Kaitlyn filling out a travel form. "Everybody freaked out," Shawn said of social media joke. But Shawn did reveal that they did actually consider eloping recently.
"We were in Vegas this past weekend and we were like, ‘Let's just go get married at a chapel,' but then we'd probably get sued by ABC because they have the first rights," he said. "So yeah, we haven't started planning yet. We're just enjoying being engaged and things are great and if you follow us on social media, you'll see we're all over the place. We're on a plane, like, every three days."
Enjoying their post-show bliss now, Shawn said he does understand what JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers are going through with all the negative attention and tabloid rumors they dealt with during and after their season, explaining, "Every single couple that comes out of that show is a ‘controversial couple.' So last year it was me and Kaitlyn and we had to deal with breakup rumors, cheating rumors, pregnancy rumors for the first six months. But then everybody starts to realize, ‘OK, maybe they're the real deal.' So now its onto Jordan and JoJo."
And Shawn revealed he and Kaitlyn talked to JoJo recently, though they didn't watch her season, and are hoping to get together for a double date in Nashville soon. "I just wish them nothing but the best...I think she's very happy. Kaitlyn talked to her, I was sitting on the couch next to her. But yeah, I think she's very happy. I'm glad that they made it and I love that Jordan got the first rose and made it through the gauntlet—the same thing I did. It's not easy, once you get the first rose, people are after you. It's awesome to see that and I'm happy for them."
Most of the controversy during the couple's season came from the surprising return of Nick Viall, the runner-up from Andi Dorfman's season who ended up as the runner-up to Shawn, as well. Despite the tension fans saw them during the season, Shawn said he hoped Nick finds what he's looking for now that he's on Bachelor in Paradise, along with his other rival, Josh Murray. (So. Much. History.)
"It's Bachelor in Paradise, so it's hard to believe what you see and you never know what's actually happening on the show. But I wish them both nothing but the best," Shawn, who hasn't watched BIP yet, said. "I know Josh went through a messy breakup and Nick, it's his third time on the show, so I hope they both find what they're looking for."
The reality star participated in a workout with first responders at the event, and told us, "I'm a big fan of police officers and firefighters and EMT's and have some family members that are in the fire department and my best friends from home, two of them are police officers…I'm a big supporter. I think those people deserve the most attention."
—reporting by Beth Sobol