Abigail Heringer and Noah Erb have yet to get engaged, but they already have one big wedding detail ironed out — it won’t happen on “Bachelor in Paradise.”
The Bachelor Nation stars — who met last summer while filming the ABC reality show — exclusively explain to Page Six why they don’t want a TV crew around when they exchange vows one day.
“I’m very grateful that ‘Paradise’ gave us the environment for us to meet each other,” Heringer, 27, says while promoting the couple’s partnership with GrubHub and MasterChef Table.
“But I am also very content to leave that chapter behind us, too.”
Though Erb, also 27, jokes that a televised wedding might mean more money saved — “Weddings are expensive,” he notes — the travel nurse tells us that he envisions a ceremony free of any manufactured drama.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, could I get it all paid for?’ That’s the finance side of me thinking that,” Erb admits.
“But I also don’t want to deal with some guy that I met on ‘Paradise’ standing up and objecting and me tackling him from the pews. I don’t want to deal with that … I wouldn’t want to do a televised wedding.”
Heringer agrees. “No more cameras,” says the social media influencer, who now advocates for the deaf community of which she is a part. “I don’t think I would want to.”
Erb — who vied for Tayshia Adams’ heart on “The Bachelorette” Season 16 — and Heringer — who competed for Matt James’ final rose on “The Bachelor” Season 25 — formed an instant connection on “Paradise” Season 7 and were once considered among the strongest couples on the beach.
However, their love story came to a screeching halt when Erb expressed doubts about their relationship, ultimately telling Heringer that she was not his “person.” An emotional breakup ensued, prompting Heringer — dressed in full ‘80s garb — to rip off her corsage from Erb during a retro prom-themed group date.
“That was my little moment,” Heringer says of ditching her accessory, while Erb acknowledges, “That blue dress of hers gives us PTSD. I’m glad we can laugh about it now.”
The pair is grateful for all the ups and downs they experienced in “Paradise,” as it helped them realize they did in fact want to pursue a future together in real life. They reconciled as their split played out across multiple episodes last fall.
“It wasn’t fun to go through the ending, but I think it really worked out for us because we were able to move at our own pace afterward, get back together and remove ourselves from the show bubble and say, ‘OK, were the feelings real? Do we care about each other and so forth?’ And we did,” says Heringer, who recently relocated from New York City to live in Huntington Beach, Calif., with Erb.
“So we gave it another shot. We live together now, so I think we’re doing pretty well.”
So well, in fact, that engagement discussions are currently underway.
“The end goal is to get married,” Erb confidently states.
“We definitely have talked about it. Our mindset is we wouldn’t be as serious as we are if that wasn’t the end goal. But we’re also not putting any pressure on us or a timeframe because I think we already have enough people trying to do that,” Heringer elaborates, referring to the droves of “Bachelor” fans who are invested in their relationship.
“We’re just enjoying life.”
When the time comes, it will likely be Erb getting down on one knee. The lovebirds applaud their friend and former “Bachelorette” Becca Kufrin for flipping the script and asking for Thomas Jacobs’ hand in marriage — but Heringer is looking forward to a “traditional” proposal.
“Her background and the two public engagements, I think that’s why it was very cool that she did it herself and took over,” Heringer says of Kufrin, 32, whose engagements to Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Garrett Yrigoyen — as well as their subsequent splits — played out in the public eye.
“But I think, for me, I’ve never been proposed to, I’ve never been engaged. I am very kind of traditional in that sense, but that’s not to take away from Becca because … I loved that she did it.”
Erb points out that while he “wouldn’t say no” to a proposal from Heringer, he would “prefer” if he was the one to do it.
In the meantime, the duo is enjoying date nights from the comfort of their own couch. “We turned into such homebodies after the show, so we’re super excited to partner with MasterChef and GrubHub,” Heringer says. “It’s been really fun to try some new dishes at home.”
The MasterChef Table-curated menu features 11 gourmet dishes full of comfort foods, expertly crafted by “MasterChef” alumni, that are available in over 20 markets across the US starting today.
“Spending time with Abby at home is one of my favorite things to do,” Erb gushes. “I love that we don’t have to leave the house and still get that feeling of a date night out at a nice restaurant.”