From roses to happy endings! As soon as Nayte Olukoya got out of the limousine to compete Michelle Young‘s heart, viewers could tell there was something special between him and the Season 18 Bachelorette.
Nayte got the first impression when he rose during the ABC show’s October 2021 premiere, and he later said he didn’t understand the meaning of the gesture at the time.
“Of course you can assume it’s just Michelle [Young] I had a really good first impression, didn’t I?” he said on an episode of the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast that same month. “But the world of Bachelor Nation? I had no Idea.”
As sparks continued to fly between the two, the Minnesota native fell in love with the runner-up Brandon Jones such as. After revealing that she was “in love with both of them” in the December 2021 finale, the teacher was forced to face her feelings for her remaining two suitors.
“You gave me everything I asked for and tomorrow will be the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” she explained during a confessional on the emotional episode.
After Brandon and Nayte each chose Neil Lane engagement rings, the former Bachelors 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’m feeling and it hurts so much because you’re this incredible person.”
Michelle later reflected on her instant connection to her now-fiancé after he got down on one knee.
“It hasn’t necessarily been a smooth ride, but I’m also not ready to face that fear without walking away from it,” she shared. “Because I’ve never felt love like this before. And I love you with all my heart and never want to think about waking up next to someone but you and spending life with someone other than you. And in the end I wanted to stand in front of my soulmate and he’s definitely right in front of me.”
During the After the Final Rose live special, Michelle opened up about how close the couple became after they wrapped filming on 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 can text, FaceTime, talk to each other’s families and get significantly closer,” she said in December 2021. “I think the biggest thing is that we communicate through everything. And it doesn’t always have to be that perfect communication, but we both know we’re going to stick with it. We won’t let go. We’re going to persevere, and that’s the biggest part. Because it’s not easy. There will be uncomfortable emotions and we definitely had them.”
For his part, Nayte spoke openly about his love for Michelle as fans watched them take the next step in their relationship.
“Michelle, since September 9th, 2021, when I got down 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, in 5 years or in 50 years. I intend to always give you my full power and work through life with you.”
Scroll down to relive Michelle and Nayte’s sweet romance: