We have a winner! The Bachelorette Season 17 has come to an end and it concluded with Katie Thurston getting engaged to latecomer, Blake Moynes.
Amongst all the 30 men that Katie met, she felt Blake was the one for her and after competing for three different bachelorettes, Blake finally found the Bachelorette of his dreams in Katie.
Blake Moynes and Katie Thurston say ‘I love you’ before getting engaged
In the finale, Blake and Katie went on the first overnight and had a playful paint-throwing date. They then hopped in the Jacuzzi, reminiscent of how Katie and Blake spent their first one-on-one.
As they basked in the jacuzzi, Katie updated Blake about her devastating breakups with Greg and Michael and how she wanted to just quit but chose to follow her heart and stay to explore her relationship with Blake.
Blake reassured Katie that he would never say he loves her and then leave like the other men in her past. Blake proceeded to share everything he loves about Katie and eventually overcame his fear of the L-word and told Katie he’s falling in love with her and is really excited about life with her.
Katie was initially speechless at hearing Blake profess his love. She then decided to break her rule of waiting to say “I love you” until there was just one man left, and she excitedly told Blake she loves him so much and is so happy that he was there on this journey with her.
After quickly dumping Justin Glaze, Katie’s family harshly interrogated Blake, namely Katie’s cold Aunt Lindsey who chastised Blake for his “cute” and naive view of how he and Katie will make their abrupt marriage work.
However, neither Aunt Lindsey’s intimidation tactics nor a tall, terrifying, and fiery Zozobra figure could scare Blake away from proposing to Katie.
At the end of their journey, Katie and Blake met up on a decorated platform and exchanged words that strongly resembled wedding vows. Blake then got down on one knee and proposed and the happy couple rode on horseback into the sunset.
Blake and Katie are excited to start their life together
Now that they can finally go public about their engagement, Blake and Katie showed lots of love and PDA on After the Final Rose, even concluding the show with a final dance as audience members held up stereos like Blake did during the season. They revealed they are still very much together with a love that grows stronger and stronger each day.
Katie also dropped the bomb that she didn’t tell her mom or Aunt Lindsey that she and Blake are engaged because she wasn’t sure they could keep a secret.
Her family learned of the engagement at the same time that Bachelor Nation did and this shocking news has some worried that, while Katie and Blake are currently head over heels, the potentially negative reaction from Katie’s family could cause issues for the fiancés in the future.
For now, Katie and Blake are happily engaged and both Blake and Katie feel lucky to have found love from this crazy experience.
Blake may have arrived late in the season but Katie feels that his arrival was meant to be and their engagement has confirmed Katie’s belief that love always arrives right on time.
The Bachelorette returns this fall on ABC.