Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson met and fell in love in 2023 while filming Season 28 of the “Bachelor.”
Despite a few bumps in the road, fans knew Anderson was a frontrunner from the pair’s first date.
Keep scrolling for a full breakdown of the couple’s whirlwind romance.
Introduction — mid-September 2023
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Anderson made quite the impression on Graziadei when she stepped out of the limo on the first night in a sequined green gown.
The brunette beauty paid homage to her hometown of New Orleans by bringing a voodoo doll dressed in a black tux and holding a tennis racket.
When she went to kiss the doll, the tennis pro adorably joked that he “felt a little something” too.
Group date standout — late September 2023
Anderson solidified herself as a frontrunner after getting her first group date rose following a talent show.
“There’s something about Kelsey that keeps surprising me,” Graziadei said at the time.
“I’m seeing more and I like it. I think there’s a lot to Kelsey and I’m excited to learn more.”
First one-on-one date — early October 2023
The pair’s journey continued when the group flew to Spain for a little getaway, where the assistant project manager snagged her first one-on-one date with the lead.
Graziadei picked Anderson up on a Vespa and the pair took in the sights before enjoying a romantic picnic.
That night, the Southern belle opened up to Graziadei about losing her mom in 2018 from breast cancer.
Second one-on-one date — mid-October 2023
Following the success of their first date, Graziadei invited Anderson on her second one-on-one date while they were in Canada.
The pair went shopping around the town of Jasper before taking part in a polar plunge, solidifying Graziadei’s feelings for Anderson.
“It was really after our second one-on-one in Jasper, how just great that day was, how much we were starting to continue to see things move forward and not take any steps back. That was when I kind of truly knew that I was falling in love with her,” Joey later told Us Weekly.
Hometown visit — late October 2023
Graziadei traveled to New Orleans a short while later to meet Anderson’s family, including her dad, brother and sister.
During the meeting, Graziadei reassured her father that he was taking their relationship seriously and that his feelings “for her are real.”
Anderson, for her part, admitted to her dad that she was in love with Graziadei.
Fantasy suites — early November 2023
The couple’s fantasy suite date was straight out of a rom-com.
They started the day on a boat ride around Tulum, Mexico, before spending the night together in a luxury villa, where they both dropped the L-bomb.
The following morning, the couple woke up and made breakfast together. Although Anderson later left Graziadei an ominous note saying they needed to “talk,” she ultimately just wanted to reiterate her feelings for him.
Proposal — late November 2023
Daisy Kent shocked viewers when she dropped out of the show after realizing Graziadei was going to pick Anderson — which he did.
Graziadei popped the question with an Art Deco-inspired ring that featured a massive emerald-cut diamond in the center and several smaller stones on the sides, totaling four carats.
“I know there’s a lot of tough decisions through this journey, and that’s what makes today really difficult. But there is nothing difficult about choosing you. And I can’t wait another minute to tell you that I love you,” he told her at the time.
“There is something about you. You have this infectious energy that makes me smile. It’s a feeling I’ve never had before. I know during this time that we’ve built a very strong flame and the only reason I know that flame will never go out is because you’re my light.”
Counseling — December 2023
Although the pair had to keep their relationship a secret for the sake of the show, they revealed to People in March that they started couple’s counseling shortly after getting engaged.
The show provided the couple with the sessions, which Graziadei said “made a huge difference” in their communication 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,” he said.
“After the Final Rose” airs — March 2024
After hiding their romance for months, the lovebirds were finally able to go public with their relationship in March 2024 after the season finale aired.
During “After the Final Rose,” Graziadei admitted that it was “difficult” for Anderson to watch the season and see his relationships with the other women.
However, he noted they had “grown so much” together since filming ended.
Instagram-official — March 2024
The pair went Instagram-official the day after the finale aired, both sharing loved-up tributes of each other.
“I would like to introduce my fiancé, Joseph Michael Graziadei AKA Joey, the (not applicable anymore) Bachelor,” Kelsey captioned a carousel of photos.
She then detailed how her feelings for Graziadei progressed throughout filming from the first week up until their proposal.
Anderson said that “loving Joey felt like” a “perfect day, when the sun is out, the clouds are fluffy, when it’s not too cold or too hot and everything just feels right.”
Graziadei, for his part, said he was the “luckiest guy in the world,” calling Anderson “kind, beautiful, goofy, original, authentic, and my bright light.”
Roommates — Summer 2024
Shortly after going public with their engagement, the pair revealed they were planning to move to New York City together sometime in the summer of 2024. However, during a June 10 podcast appearance, the twosome admitted they have yet to make the leap.
Instead, Graziadei moved down to New Orleans with Anderson and her two female roommates to save money and adjust to their new normal.
“It would have been wrong of me to be like, we need to get you out of what your life was because she dropped her whole life to be a part of this,” he said on the “Trading Secrets” podcast. “And I knew that regardless of what was going to happen, my life was going to have to change and go somewhere else.”
Before the show, Graziadei lived in Hawaii but temporarily moved in with his sister in Philadelphia to be closer to New York for press events.
