Note: The following story contains spoilers from “The Golden Bachelorette” episode 9.

With wedding bells on the horizon for “Golden Bachelorette” Joan Vassos and fiance Chock Chapple, the couple said they haven’t been approached about a “golden wedding” — and Vassos is “delighted” about it.

“I think it’s a little early,” Vassos told TheWrap in a Thursday interview. “I think everyone wants to make sure we’re good and I confidently say we are, but I still don’t want to plan a wedding right now. I want it to just be us… enjoying life.”

While Vassos added that the couple has been asked about their impending nuptials in “casual conversation” with ABC employees, with whom they have developed a relationship over the course of filming and rolling out, Vassos said the network has not put a “formal question” to him himself and Chapple to be at the center of a televised wedding ceremony like that “Golden wedding” between former “Golden Bachelor” Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist. Turner and Nist tied the knot live on ABC in early January 2024, and announced in April that they were divorcing.

As Vassos and Chapple enjoy their engagement, New York City will be their new home base as they begin to integrate their families and enjoy outdoor dating.

Below, the happy couple unpacks their final moments on “The Golden Bachelorette” and reveals their plans for their next chapter.

TheWrap: Congratulations! How has it been to share your commitment with the world after keeping it a secret?

Joan Vassos: It feels good. It has been difficult to keep the secret. You want to tell your friends and family, because they’re rooting for you, and they’ve known about this for so long, they followed you throughout your journey, they missed you for two months, and they’re coming back and you have to be quiet. It’s really, really hard, but I have to say there’s some value in only the two of you knowing about it – I never thought this would be true. You get to do these happy couple houses, and we got five of them, so we spent really good quality time without outside noise and we really got to know each other and make sure that what we thought was a leap of faith was really something that would work .

Joan, you sent Guy (Gansert) home after realizing you had definitely found your person with Shock. When exactly did it hit you that Shock was the one?

Vassos: We had a connection really, really early in the season and it continued to grow throughout the season. But I promised these other guys that I would give them all a chance to explore our relationship … Honestly, I took it all the way to our last interaction, which was fantasy suites, and we got to have our important conversations behind closed doors. I kept coming back in my heart to Shock and my feelings for him had gotten so much stronger, and that I was in love with him and I didn’t want the poor guy to get more invested. So I ended it in a little different way … I wanted to spare his feelings as much as I could and not invest in meeting my family and having my family meet him and think that maybe he was one of the people. It felt like when I knew it was Shock that I needed to tell Guy and let him know.

Shock, during your courtship, did you know Guy had already been sent home?

Shock Chapple: I don’t think so. I was so focused on what I was going to do and will do that I don’t believe it – I thought there will probably be two of us. The guy is a gentleman – He is a friend of mine. We talk every week. He handled it with class, and Joan handled it with dignity for him. It had to go to one person and luckily it was me. But I have a lot of respect for Guy.

Shock, when did you realize she had chosen you?

Chapple: The day before Joan came over to the bungalow that I was staying in, it was probably one of the most romantic places in the world. She came over to talk and then we went out on the balcony and kissed. I spent three weeks trying to get this woman to tell me she loved me – I tried everything in the world, and she just wouldn’t do it, but I got the signs. We had a kiss, and that kiss – that’s just the power of a kiss, a simple kiss – I knew with that that everything was fine.

Fans noted some awkwardness during your first meeting with Joan’s family, especially after a PDA. How did it feel in the moment and how is everyone doing now?

Chapple: Well, I’m a sensitive guy. I told Joan, “my love language is touch.” And there have been some comments about Disneyland because it was the first date she had and I have my hand on her leg… I can’t even consciously say I did it. I just saw the picture. It just felt so natural … Kids don’t like to see parents kiss (or) touch each other at all – They don’t … but hey, we’re adults. We must do what feels good and what we like each other.

Vassos: He kind of broke the ice right away, and he said, “I’m just going to do this now, I’m going to kiss your mother, and then it’s out in the open, it’s done.” It was a little fun, maybe a little uncomfortable, but it got it out of the way.

What are you most excited about in the next chapter of New York City?

Chapple: Just spending time together, integrating the families, Joan’s coming to Kansas a little bit, I’m going to Maryland, spending time in New York. We have four big trips we will do in 2025, will probably start planning a wedding at some point. We have a lot going on and we both like adventure. We were talking about a few vacations – taking one that might just be a beach vacation, and then go on the next one and climb Kilimanjaro or something, so we’ll be busy.

Vassos: I need to get some new shoes or something … we’re looking forward to an adventure – New York City is kind of an adventure for us. It’s something we both always wanted to do when we were younger. I was planning to move there with a good friend of mine right after college, and I met John, and I decided I really wanted to explore a relationship. I ended up being married with four kids, so I’m pretty glad I didn’t go to New York City, but I still had it lurking in the back of my mind that I wanted to, and I was so happy to hear that he had the same dream, because it’s a bit of a weird dream, and that at 61 you can still, sort of have dreams, even from when it was a long time ago, and still make them happen.

Who would you nominate for the next Golden Bachelor?

Vassos: That’s a particularly difficult question for this group. I think the nation really got to know the men really, really well – a lot more than on “The Golden Bachelor” – “The Golden Bachelor” episodes were only an hour, ours were an hour and a half or two hours. Everyone is talking about Mark and Charles. (Charles) is such a unique individual human being – we’re not used to that innocence in an adult and that’s kind of what we needed right now (with) all this chaos in the world – Charles is what we needed.

I know people talked about Mark because people fell in love with them during Joey’s season when Kelsey brought him home. It’s all these other guys that we were told — Greg is funny and smart and has all these quirky, funny comments. Dan is such a kind person, and so gentle and sensitive. Jack is funny. I think everyone has seen a lot of his personality. He wasn’t really one of those people who stood in the background. He makes cannonballs in the pool and gives us a tour of the mansion. Jordan…. he is very funny. He has this sarcastic kind of wit about him. There are just so many guys it would be hard to pick one, I wouldn’t want that job for anything. I don’t think I don’t think you can go wrong.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

All episodes of “The Golden Bachelorette” are available to stream on Hulu.