Former “Bachelorette” Rachel Lindsay has no regrets about marrying husband Bryan Abasolo off-screen.
After watching fellow “Bachelor” nation alums Krystal Nielson and Chris Randone tie the knot on this season of “Bachelor in Paradise,” the 34-year-old attorney realized her nuptials were better off without the reality TV drama.
“I’m just going to be honest,” she told Page Six Thursday at the New York Fashion Week show for designer Randi Rahm, who made her wedding dress. “I thought Krystal looked stunning. The wedding looked gorgeous, but at the same time, so much of the focus was on JPJ’s drama with Derek.”
Lindsay was referring to a scene in Nielson and Randone’s “Paradise” wedding episode, in which cast member John Paul Jones confronted Derek Peth at the reception over his intentions in pursuing a romantic relationship with Tayshia Adams.
She also pointed out how the focus shifted to exes Angela Amezcua and Clay Harbour reuniting for the first time at the wedding since their off-camera breakup.
“I mean [Krystal and Chris’] vows were beautiful and I’m glad [the producers] allowed them to have that and for them to capture that,” Lindsay said. “But it was, ‘Angela’s walking down the aisle.’ ‘What does Clay’s face look like?’ ‘Who’s hooking up with who, and meeting people?’ I don’t want that.”
She continued, “Not that I’m a Bridezilla and I want it to be all about me, but I just want it to be about our love and our family and friends celebrating. I looked in the audience, and I thought to myself, ‘Chris and Krystal don’t even know half of these people.’ I would never want that experience. I did not want strangers at my wedding. I don’t know you!”
On Aug. 24, Lindsay had her dream wedding to Abasolo, 39, whom she chose on her season of “The Bachelorette,” at the Royalton Suites Resort & Spa in Cancun, Mexico.
“Everything was perfect,” the ESPN host told us. “The party started around 8:30 and at 2 in the morning, we were still going. It was just a party. That’s all I wanted.”
Lindsay shared that some guests jumped into the pool at the end of the night, and Abasolo walked around in hotel slippers.
“There’s something about destination weddings. It’s a vacation for everyone, so people just come in with a different mentality,” she said. “Both families coming together for the first time. You would’ve never known. We looked like we’ve known each other our whole lives.”
One of the moments that the couple kept most sacred was when Abasolo saw Lindsay in her custom Randi Rahm wedding dress for the first time.
The host of MTV’s “Ghosted” explained that she didn’t want her future husband to see her until she walked down the aisle, so they purposely shot a back-to-back photo to release to the public before any images of the nuptials leaked online.
“We needed to get a picture so that we could just get that picture out there before somebody else released it,” she said. “So Bryan came in from behind, and I was facing away from him. He approached me, [and] we just held hands. You can kind of see it in the picture … when he touched my hand, that’s when I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is real.’”